Luis Fuentes (politician) explained

Luis Fuentes Rodríguez (born 20 December 1960) is a Spanish politician of the Citizens party. He was a member of the Cortes of Castile and León from 2015 to 2022, serving as the legislature's president from 2019.

Biography

Born in Salamanca, Fuentes graduated in Business Sciences from the University of Salamanca. A specialist in marketing, he worked for 18 years for a furniture company.[1] He was the president of the localist Union of the Salamancan People (UPSa), which merged into the national party Citizens in 2014.[2]

In March 2015, Fuentes secured enough signatures to be Citizens' lead candidate in the 2015 Castilian-Leonese regional election; he ran in the Valladolid constituency.[3] His party entered the Cortes of Castile and León with five seats after taking 10.3% of the vote.[4]

After the 2019 elections, Citizens agreed to form government with the People's Party (PP). As per this agreement, Fuentes was the two parties' candidate for President of the Cortes and was elected.[5]

Towards the end of 2021, President of the Junta of Castile and León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, dissolved the PP's pact with Citizens and called new elections. Citizens' vote share fell and they only had one candidate elected, leader Francisco Igea, meaning that Fuentes lost his seat.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Luis Fuentes . . 19 February 2022 . Spanish.
  2. News: Hernández . Cecilia . Unión del Pueblo Salmantino se integra en Ciudadanos . Union of the Salamancan People merges into Citizens. 19 February 2022 . El Norte de Castilla . 29 July 2014 . Spanish.
  3. News: Luis Fuentes se convierte en el candidato regional de Ciudadanos a la Junta. Luis Fuentes becomes Citizens' regional candidate for president. 19 February 2022 . Diario Palentino . 13 March 2015 . Spanish.
  4. News: El Partido Popular pierde la mayoría absoluta en Castilla y León y en el Ayuntamiento de Valladolid. People's Party lose absolute majority in Castile and León and in Valladolid City Council. 19 February 2022 . . 24 May 2015 . Spanish.
  5. News: El salmantino Luis Fuentes, elegido presidente de las Cortes de Castilla y León . Salamanca-born Luis Fuentes, elected President of the Cortes of Castile and León. 19 February 2022 . La Gaceta de Salamanca . 21 June 2019 . Spanish.
  6. News: El PP gana en Salamanca, donde Vox irrumpe con dos escaños y PSOE pierde uno. PP win in Salamanca, where Vox break in with two seats and the PSOE los one. 19 February 2022 . . 14 February 2022 . Spanish.