María José Catalá candidata2023.jpg
María José Catalá in 2023

María José Catalá Verdet (born 3 March 1981)[1] is a Spanish politician who belongs to the People's Party (PP).

She was the mayor of Torrent (2007–2012), the first woman and first from her party to hold the office, and briefly served in the Congress of Deputies in 2008. She was Minister of Education in the Generalitat Valenciana from 2012 to 2015, and was elected to the Corts Valencianes in 2015 and Valencia City Council in 2019. Since June 2023 she has been the Mayor of Valencia.[2]

María José Catalá in the Intermunicipal in 2023

Biography

Born in Valencia, Catalá holds a degree in law from the CEU Cardinal Herrera University,[1] and a master's degree in Business Administration.[3] In March 2017, she received a doctorate from CEU Cardinal Herrera University. Her thesis was on the relations between voters and representatives in the early 21st century, a time of corruption scandals, including several involving her party.[4]

Catalá entered politics in 2003 when she was elected as a PP councillor for the town of Torrent to the south-west of the city of Valencia. In 2007, she was chosen as the PP candidate for mayor of Torrent and was elected in May, becoming the first female mayor of the city. She was also its first PP mayor, ending 28 years of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) control, as well as being one of the youngest mayors at the time, aged 26.[5]

In 2008, Catalá was elected to the Congress of Deputies representing the Valencia constituency after being awarded the fourth place[6] on the PP list, virtually guaranteeing her election, as the party had won at least five seats in every election from 1982 onwards. However, she only served a half year in Congress, resigning in October 2008 and was replaced by Teresa García Sena.[7][8]

Catalá left her post as mayor in 2012, being named Minister of Education in Alberto Fabra's Generalitat Valenciana and serving as its spokesperson for the final year before the 2015 election, in which she was elected to the Corts Valencianes. In January 2019, she was named the PP candidate for mayor of Valencia ahead of the election in May.[9] The PP came second, and incumbent mayor Joan Ribó of Coalició Compromís was re-elected with the support of the PSOE.[10] In June 2023 she won the local elections, becoming Mayor of València.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 "Mª José Catalá, candidata de PP al Ayuntamiento de Valencia". El Periòdic (in Spanish). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  2. 1 2 324cat (2023-06-17). "El PP enforteix el seu poder territorial al País Valencià i les Illes". CCMA (in Catalan). Retrieved 2023-06-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Muelas, Pedro (11 April 2011). "María José Catalá: "Me siento muy cómoda con los límites morales y éticos de mi partido"". Valencia Plaza (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  4. ↑ Bonillo, María (10 March 2017). "MªJosé Català, doctora 'cum laude' de la política". Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "El PP supera por primera vez en la historia al PSPV con 23 alcaldías en l'Horta frente a 19". Las Provincias (in Spanish). 17 June 2007. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  6. ↑ list of PP candidates for Valencia province Archived 2008-07-27 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ SER, Cadena (2019-01-10). "María José Català, candidata del PP a la alcaldía de Valencia". cadena SER (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  8. ↑ "Català y Mercedes Alonso renuncian a su acta". Levante-EMV (in Spanish). 2008-10-07. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
  9. ↑ "María José Catalá, una política curtida para que el PP recupere Valencia". Las Provincias (in Spanish). 10 January 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  10. ↑ Parrilla, José (16 June 2019). "Ribó promete una ciudad más justa tras ser investido alcalde por segunda vez". Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 December 2022.
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