Ignacio Gragera Explained

Ignacio Gragera Barrera (born 6 September 1982)[1] is a Spanish politician. He was elected to the city council of Badajoz in Extremadura in 2019 and became mayor in 2021. Initially a member of the Citizens party (Cs), he defected to the People's Party (PP) in 2022.

Biography

Born in Badajoz, Extremadura, Gragera graduated in law from the University of Salamanca. He began his legal career in 2007, and started his own law firm in 2016.[2] In April 2019, he was chosen as Citizens' (Cs) candidate for the upcoming local elections in Badajoz.[3]

In the elections, Cs rose from two to four seats to become the third largest grouping in the council after the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and People's Party (PP), and Gragera said that he would work with any other party.[4] [5] He reached a deal with the PP of incumbent mayor Javier Fragoso to form a coalition, with Gragera as his deputy and succeeding him halfway through the four-year term.[6]

Gragera was named in Citizens' national executive in March 2021, by leader Inés Arrimadas.[7] He was invested as mayor in June, with 14 votes from the Cs and PP councillors and the one independent member formerly of Vox, versus 13 against from the PSOE and Unidas Podemos.[8] The former Vox member, Alejandro Vélez, was named in Gragera's cabinet as part of the agreement.[9]

In December 2022, the PP's national leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo confirmed that the party was looking to enlist Gragera for the next year's local elections in Badajoz.[10] He was publicly presented as a member of the party by María Guardiola, its candidate for the 2023 Extremaduran regional election.[11]

Personal life

Gragera played rugby union, mainly across the border in Portugal due to the shorter travels compared to the Spanish leagues. He played for S.L. Benfica's rugby team,[12] and was one of four players to transfer from Club de Rugby Badajoz to Rugby Clube Montemor in 2015.[13] A year later, after achieving promotion, he made his debut in the Campeonato Nacional de Rugby, the top tier of the sport in Portugal.[14]

Notes and References

  1. News: Romero . Rocío . El jugador de rugby que ha llegado a alcalde. The rugby player who became mayor. 3 March 2023 . . 26 June 2021 . Spanish.
  2. News: Romero . Rocío . El abogado Ignacio Gragera se perfila como candidato de Cs en Badajoz. Lawyer Ignacio Gragera standing as Cs candidate in Badajoz . 3 March 2023 . Hoy . 28 February 2019 . Spanish.
  3. News: CS presenta a Ignacio Gragera en Badajoz. CS present Ignacio Gragera in Badajoz . 3 March 2023 . Hoy . 11 April 2019 . Spanish.
  4. News: Cabezas . Rodrigo . Ciudadanos y Vox tienen las llaves de la mayoría en el ayuntamiento. Citizens and Vox hold the keys to a majority in the city council. 3 March 2023 . . 28 May 2019 . Spanish.
  5. News: Ignacio Gragera: "Hablaremos con todos para implantar el proyecto de CS". Ignacio Gragera: "We will speak with everyone else to implant Cs' project . 3 March 2023 . Hoy . 27 May 2019 . Spanish.
  6. News: Cs y el PP se reparten la alcaldía de Badajoz dos años cada uno, mientras Cáceres continúa en el aire. Cs and the PP will share the mayoralty of Badajoz for two years each, while Cáceres is still up in the air. 3 March 2023 . El Periódico Extremadura . 14 June 2019 . Spanish.
  7. News: Arrimadas incorpora a la ejecutiva a cargos de todas las comunidades. Arrimadas brings into the executive office holders from all communities. 3 March 2023 . . 17 March 2021 . Spanish.
  8. News: Rivera . Juan Ramón . Ignacio Gragera, nuevo alcalde de Badajoz. Ignacio Gragera, new mayor of Badajoz . 3 March 2023 . Canal Extremadura . 26 June 2021 . Spanish.
  9. News: Vox entra en el Gobierno de Badajoz con PP y Ciudadanos. Vox enters in Badajoz Government with PP and Citizens . 3 March 2023 . . . 4 July 2019 . Spanish.
  10. News: Núñez Feijóo confirma que el PP de Extremadura estudia la posibilidad de fichar a Gragera como candidato del PP en Badajoz. Núñez Feijóo confirms that the PP of Extremadura is studying the possibility of signing Gragera as PP candidate in Badajoz. 3 March 2023 . . 13 December 2022 . Spanish.
  11. News: Lamet . Juanma . El alcalde de Badajoz, de Ciudadanos, primer fichaje del PP para las elecciones municipales. The mayor of Badajoz, from Citizens, first PP signing for the municipal elections . 3 March 2023 . . 13 December 2022 . Spanish.
  12. News: Ferreira . Leonidio Paulo . "Direita uniu-se em Badajoz, mas acho difícil esta solução para o Governo de Espanha". "The right joined together in Badajoz, but I believe that would be a difficult solution for the Government of Spain". 3 March 2023 . . 11 November 2021 . Spanish.
  13. News: García . Pol . El Rugby Clube Montemor ficha a cuatro pacenses para volver a la máxima categoría portuguesa. Rugby Clube Montemor sign four players from Badajoz in order to return to the top Portuguese league . 3 March 2023 . Badajoz Deportes . 9 September 2015 . Spanish.
  14. News: García . Pol . Ignacio Gragera cumplirá su sueño de jugar en Primera. Ignacio Gragera will complete his deam of playing in the first division. 3 March 2023 . Badajoz Deportes . 1 October 2016 . Spanish.