Francisco Igea Explained

Francisco Igea Arisqueta (born 17 April 1964) is a Spanish politician of the Citizens party between 2016 and 2023. A doctor by profession, he led the party in the 2019 Castilian-Leonese regional election, and became vice president of the Junta of Castile and León after forming a government with the People's Party leader Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. In the 2022 election, his party lost all their seats except his own. He was previously a member of the Congress of Deputies (2015–2019) and came runner-up in his party's 2020 leadership election. He was expelled from Citizens in 2023 for criticising their decision not to contest the 2023 Spanish general election, and retained his seat as an independent.

Biography

Born in Valladolid, Igea graduated in Medicine from the University of Valladolid. A specialist in the digestive system, he worked at a hospital in Palencia as head of department until 2013, when he volunteered for redundancy due to cuts.[1]

Igea contested the primaries to lead Union, Progress and Democracy in the 2015 Castilian-Leonese regional election, losing to Rafael Delgado. He then left the party, for Citizens.[1] He was elected to the Congress of Deputies in the Valladolid constituency in December 2015.[2] The following June, he was the only member of his party in Castile and León to win re-election.[3] In January 2017, he entered his party's central committee, responsible for health.[1]

In February 2019, Igea announced that he would challenge Silvia Clemente in the party primaries to lead in May's regional elections.[4] In March, on a recount, he defeated the former People's Party regional leader.[5] His party became the third largest in the Cortes of Castile and León behind the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the PP.[6] In July, his party formed a government with the PP, and he became regional vice president.[7]

In December 2019, a judge closed a case against Igea initiated by a party member who had accused him of threats in March.[8]

Igea announced his candidacy in February 2020 for Citizens' leadership election, standing against Inés Arrimadas.[9] She won by 76.9% to 22.3%.[10]

At the end of 2021, Mañueco called an early election with the aim of governing alone, as his counterpart Isabel Díaz Ayuso had achieved in the Community of Madrid.[11] Igea was named Citizens' lead candidate by the party's national leadership without the need of a primary, citing new rules in the party for when there is an unexpectedly short electoral campaign.[12] The election ended up with Citizens losing all their seats except Igea's while Vox made gains; he offered to align with the PP to top Vox governing.[13]

In September 2023, Igea and Edmundo Bal were expelled from Citizens for criticising the party's decision not to contest the 2023 Spanish general election. Igea did not appeal the decision and did not resign his seat.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: Gamarra . Lorena . Quién es Francisco Igea, el rival de Silvia Clemente que impugnó su elección . Who is Francisco Igea, Silvia Clemente's rival who challenges her election. 27 March 2021 . El Independiente . 10 March 2019 . Spanish.
  2. News: La 'vuelta al cole' de los 32 diputados. The 'first day back at school' for the 32 deputies. 27 March 2021 . . 11 January 2016 . Spanish.
  3. News: Igea, único diputado de C's en CyL, promete "sudar" tanto para un nuevo gobierno como para que cambien las cosas. Igea, only C's deputy in C&L, promises to "sweat" greatly for a new government so that things can change. 28 March 2021 . La Información . 27 June 2016 . Spanish.
  4. News: Sanz . Luis Ángel . Albert Rivera rompe Ciudadanos en Castilla y León al imponer a una dirigente del PP. Albert Rivera fractures Citizens in Castile and León by bringing in a PP leader. 28 March 2021 . El Mundo . 26 February 2019 . Spanish.
  5. News: Igea le gana las primarias de Ciudadanos a Clemente tras la revisión de los votos. Igea defeats Clemente in the Citizens primaries after a recount. 28 March 2021 . . 11 March 2019 . Spanish.
  6. News: Resultados Elecciones Autonómicas en Castilla y León . Autonomous Election Results in Castile and León. 28 March 2021 . El Norte de Castilla . Spanish.
  7. News: Fernández Mañueco e Igea se rodean de seis hombres y tres mujeres en su gobierno conjunto para Castilla y León. Fernández Mañueco and Igea are flanked by six men and three women in their coalition government for Castile and León. 28 March 2021 . CyLTV . 16 July 2019 . Spanish.
  8. News: Absuelto Igea (Cs) de un delito de amenazas contra un militante de su partido. Igea (Cs) acquitted of threats against a member of his party. 28 March 2021 . . 10 December 2019 . Spanish.
  9. News: Esteban . Paloma . Igea presenta su candidatura contra Arrimadas y pide un debate este jueves. Igea presents his candidacy against Arrimadas and requests a debate this Thursday. 28 March 2021 . . 25 February 2020 . Spanish.
  10. News: Sanz . Luis Ángel . Inés Arrimadas barre a Francisco Igea con el 77% de los votos en las primarias de Ciudadanos. Inés Arrimadas sweeps away Francisco Igea with 77% of the votes in the Citizens leadership election. 28 March 2021 . El Mundo . 8 March 2020 . Spanish.
  11. News: Pablo Casado muestra su apoyo a Mañueco para liderar una victoria "en solitario". Pablo Casado shows his support to Mañueco to lead a victory "by ourselves". 4 January 2022 . La Opinión de Zamora . Europa Press . 30 December 2021 . Spanish.
  12. News: Carvajal . Álvaro . Ciudadanos nombra a Francisco Igea candidato en Castilla y León sin primarias y apelando a la "unidad". Citizens name Francisco Igea candidate in Castile and León without primaries and calling for "unity". 4 January 2022 . El Mundo . 27 December 2021 . Spanish.
  13. News: Igea lamenta la "catástrofe" de Cs y se ofrece al PP para evitar la entrada de Vox en el Gobierno de CyL. Igea laments Cs' "catastrophe" and offers himself to the PP to avoid Vox entering the Government of Castile and León. 14 February 2022 . Europa Press . 14 February 2022 . Spanish.
  14. News: Ciudadanos expulsa a Edmundo Bal y a Francisco Igea. Citizens expel Edmundo Bal and Francisco Igea . 9 April 2024 . . 28 September 2023 . Spanish.

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