Preceded by Position established Political party Podemos (2014–present) Party Podemos | Nationality Spanish Alma mater Complutense University Organization founded Podemos | |
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Full Name Íñigo Errejón Galván Born 14 December 1983 (age 33)
Madrid, Spain ( 1983-12-14 ) Occupation Researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid Parents José Antonio Errejón Villacieros, María Ángeles Galván Education Complutense University of Madrid (2012), Complutense University of Madrid (2006) Similar Pablo Iglesias Turrión, Juan Carlos Monedero, Pablo Echenique Robba, Carolina Bescansa, Rita Maestre Profiles | ||
Podemos populism with i n igo errejo n galva n
Íñigo Errejón Galván (born 14 December 1983) is a Spanish political scientist and politician, Doctor of Political Science and member of the editorial board of the political analysis journal Viento Sur. He is the Secretary for Policy and Strategy and Campaigning of the political party Podemos, whose electoral campaigns he has directed. He is a member of the Congress of Deputies.
Contents
- Podemos populism with i n igo errejo n galva n
- igo errej n podemos campo de cebada 22 11 15
- Early life
- Education
- Latin America
- Podemos
- University of Malaga contract
- Venezuelan government
- Publications
- References
igo errej n podemos campo de cebada 22 11 15
Early life
Íñigo Errejón is the son of José Antonio Errejón Villacieros, career officer and senior official in the central government during the Transition in the Workers' Party of Spain, and was later one of the signatories of the Manifiesto de Tenerife, which marked the birth of the Greens in Spain, and was a member of Anticapitalistas.
Errejón was a scout during his adolescence.
Education
He studied political science at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), where he earned a degree in 2006. During his time at university, he joined various leftist movements with which he participated in anti-globalization protests in Genoa (July 2001, against the meeting of the G8), Prague (September 2000, during the annual meeting of the board of governors of the IMF and World Bank) and Scotland (July 2005, against a new meeting of the G8). He also took part in the mobilizations against the Iraq War and the protests of 13 March 2004 in front of the headquarters of the People's Party in Madrid after the 11-M attacks.
In 2006, he was one of the founders of the student association Contrapoder, a leftist, anti-capitalist, and internationalist group that protested against Rosa Díez's appearance at the UCM and invited Evo Morales to give a conference in the Faculty of Political Science.
In 2012, he received his doctorate under the direction of Heriberto Cairo Carou with the thesis The struggle for hegemony during the first government of the MAS in Bolivia (2006-2009): a discursive analysis.
Latin America
Errejón began working for Center for Political and Social Studies Foundation (CEPS), a socialist, anti-capitalist think tank in Spain that performed the majority of its work in Latin America. He worked as a secretary for CEPS and is currently a part of its Executive Board.
He has also worked in Venezuela as Director of the Political Identities research line at the GIS XXI Foundation, a polling firm linked to the Venezuelan government that was headed by Jesse Chacón.
Podemos
In 2014, Pablo Iglesias appointed Errejón as campaign manager for Podemos in the European Parliament elections of 2014. The campaign was a success, and the new party won 1.2 million votes.
Errejón himself became one of the media leaders of the new party, participating in talk shows like The Sixth Night.
On 15 November, he was chosen as one of the 11 members of the Council of Coordination of Podemos, commissioning him the office of secretary of policy.
Errejón was the campaign manager for Podemos in the Andalusian parliamentary elections of 22 March 2015, in which the party won 15 seats. In the same month, he participated as a speaker at the International Forum for Empowerment and Equality, held in Buenos Aires. He was also campaign manager for the regional elections on 24 May that year.
University of Malaga contract
On 17 November, the newspaper El Mundo published an article written by Errejón during his time at the University of Málaga (UMA). The project, Property in Andalucia. Diagnosis, analysis and policy proposals for the commodification of housing was directed by Alberto Montero, professor of Applied Economics at the UMA and vice-president of the CEPS Foundation of which Errejón is a member. Errejón had been the only candidate to stand for the posting of research. The contract called for a day of 40 weekly hours and a gross monthly salary of 1825 monthly euros.
According to the newspaper, Errejón "devoted hardly any time" to the work, while Errejón claimed that, on the contrary, his contract was renewed regularly every three months precisely because he fulfilled the tasks assigned by the research group of the UMA. The same newspaper noted that the incompatibilities of the staff in the Public Administration Service Act would prevent reconciliation of paid work and receiving a salary as a researcher hired by the University of Malaga. However, the project manager later stated that Errejón had permission to work from Madrid and the rector of the University of Málaga, Adelaida de la Calle said that the contract was completely lawful.
Following a statement by Susana Diaz, general Secretary of the PSOE-A and President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, which suggested that the university take action, the UMA opened an investigation to assess whether Errejón had breached the terms of the contract. The opening of proceedings was communicated to Errejón and Alberto Montero.
On 4 December, Adelaida de la Calle decided to temporarily suspend Errejón's salary. According to Podemos, the case was a "campaign of defamation" against Errejón for being one of the most visible faces of the party, now an emerging political force. The Podemos spokesman for Relations with Civil Society and Social Movements, Rafael Mayoral, even hinted that pressure from the Andalusian regional government could have influenced the decision taken against Errejón. The adviser for Promotion of the Board of Andalucia, Elena Cortes of United Left, demanded that Mayoral provide evidence for the supposed interferences.
Venezuelan government
Errejón's relationship with the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela was often criticized in Spain. He described Venezuela as his "adopted fatherland" and was a supporter of Hugo Chávez. While working at CEPS and GIS XXI Foundation, Errejón worked closely with the Bolivarian government and its officials.
While working for CEPS, heavy funding for the foundation by the Bolivarian government occurred, with CEPS receiving over $5 billion when contracted by Chávez, with the president sometimes being the foundation's only client. However,such claims are yet to be verified by any reliable source. On 13 December 2013, just days before the creation of Podemos, Errejón himself signed a document about CEPS collecting €401,800 for working with Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro. Due to this, there were suggestions that "murky" funding from Venezuela had helped Podemos, especially when CEPS helped fund debate shows that made Podemos popular. Following such allegations, Podemos and its members attempted to distance itself from the Bolivarian government. However, sources from CEPS state that Errejón and other created the Latin American Centre for Strategic Geopolitics (CELAG), a branch of CEPS that was allegedly used to "collect and manage the money" even after his involvement in Podemos
In November 2013 just months before protests broke out due to discontent over shortages in Venezuela and other socioeconomic issues, Errejón stated in a Venezuelan government newspaper, Correo del Orinoco, that the lines for food Venezuelans experienced for hours were "because they have more money to consume more" and that there was a "culture of queues" because Venezuelans supposedly enjoyed socializing. Spanish newspaper La Gaceta described Errejón's explanation for the queues as "absurd".