Gabriel Perez

    

His Excellency Gabriel Perez
Perez in 2022
4th Prime Minister of Spain
Incumbent
Assumed office January 10, 2017
Preceded by	Miguel Miranda
Member of the Congress of Deputies
Incumbent
Assumed office December 10, 2013
Preceded by	Marco Garcia
Succeeded by	José Pinchaz
Leader of the Opposition
In office April 5, 2016 – January 10, 2017
Preceded by	Juan Guerra
Succeeded by	Miguel Miranda (acting)
Leader of the Democratic Socialist Party
Incumbent
Assumed office April 5, 2016
Preceded by	Juan Guerra
Member of the Parliament of Andalusia
In office June 2, 2000 – December 10, 2013
Personal details
Born	(1972-10-10) October 10, 1972 Seville, Andalusian Social Region, Spanish People's Republic
Political party	Democratic Socialist (2000–present)
Other political affiliations	Spanish Landonist Workers' Party (1995–2000)
Alma mater	University of Seville
Religion	Non-religious

Gabriel Perez (born October 10, 1972) is a Spanish politician serving as the 4th Prime Minister of Spain since 2017. As Prime Minister, Perez serves as a member of the Congress of Deputies, representing the western portion of the city of Seville. A member of the Democratic Socialist Party, Perez identifies with the "new left" of the party, and is considered Spain's most left wing leader since the 2000 revolution.

Born and raised in Seville, Perez attended the University of Seville. After a few years of work as a electrician, Perez joined the Spanish Landonist Workers' Party in 1995, though left the party following the 2000 revolution. Following the creation of the Third Republic, Perez joined the Democratic Socialist Party and was elected to the Parliament of Andalusia in 2000, becoming the youngest member ever elected to the region's legislature at the age of 28. As a member of the Andalusian Parliament, Perez supported socialist policies, becoming a leading figure in the region's leftist circle. In 2013, Perez was elected to the Congress of Deputies through a special election and in 2016 became both Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Democratic Socialists.

Following the 2017 general election, Perez was elected as Prime Minister of Spain. Elected on a mainline socialist and progressive platform, Perez became the most left wing leader of Spain since the fall of the Spanish People's Republic. In 2018, Perez implemented a number of policies directed towards expanding the welfare state in Spain and the national healthcare system. In the same year, Perez completed the total nationalization of Spain's healthcare service after being stalled by his predecessor, Miguel Miranda, and ordered the transition for Spanish-based energy corporations to green energy or faced nationalization. In 2019, Perez was highly criticized for his response to the Canary Islands independence crisis and for various actions that have allegedly violated civil rights protected in the constitution. Although initially praised for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Perez began to receive intense criticism for his inappropriate use of COVID-19 restrictions to shutdown events and protests critical of his government and pandemic response. He received national backlash after rescheduling the 2021 Spanish general election through emergency powers and constitutional loopholes. Despite this, he narrowly secured a second term as prime ministers, with his party retaining a narrow majority.

Politically, Perez identifies as a socialist, anti-capitalist, and progressive. He identifies as apart of the "Spanish new left" and the new left faction within the Democratic Socialist Party. Perez supports greater government intervention in the economy, and is supportive of rolling back most capitalist and free market policies created following the 2000 revolution. Perez has faced domestic and international controversy for his criticisms of the 2000 revolution and the Consitution of 2000, revisionist attitudes of the Spanish Peoples' Republic, and contributing to democratic backsliding. In terms of foreign policy, Perez is a staunch supporter of the European Community and identifies as a Europeanist, calling for the democratization of the European Community. However, he has been a critic of NTO, and has advocated for improved relations with the United Commonwealth.

Early life, education, and career

Gabriel Perez was born in Seville on October 10, 1972. He is the oldest of three children. Perez's father, Pablo, worked as a plumber, while his mother Maria stayed at home to raise her family. Both of his parents were active members in the city's Spanish Landonist Workers' Party section, with his father being viewed as a prime candidate for the chairmanship. The young Perez spent his entire childhood in Seville. Perez began primary school in 1976, and eventually attended secondary school beginning in 1988. During his time in secondary school, Perez began to form leftist political beliefs. In 1991, Perez began attending the People's University of the Revolution.

In 1995 Perez joined the Spanish Landonist Workers' Party. According to Perez, he only joined the party in order to "advance" in Spanish society. Following his completion of university, Perez attempted to begin a career in local government, though he failed and was later censured by his local SLWP chapter. In 2000, Perez left the SLWP following the 2000 revolution, which saw the toppling of the Landonist dictatorship and the establishment of a third Spanish Republic. Although Perez claimed that he took part in the storming of the People's Assembly building in Madrid, however there is no record of him ever attending.

Political career

Perez speaking to supporters in 2012.

Following the collapse of the Spanish People's Republic and the establishment of the Third Spanish Republic, Perez left the Spanish Landonist Workers' Party to join the Democratic Socialist Party. Immediately following the implementation of the Constitution of Spain, elections was declared, both nationally and in each newly-formed community. After joining the Democratic Socialists, Perez announced his candidacy for a seat in the newly-formed Andalusian Parliament. Perez ran to represent western Seville. In the election, Perez secured 56% of the vote and was sworn in as one of the first members of the Andalusian Parliament.

As a member of the Andalusian Parliament, Perez emergeed as a staunch socialist and anti-capitalist. He opposed legislation that encouraged the free market in the province, and criticized the leadership of the Andalusian Democratic Socialists, who he believed were "not real socialists". In 2006, Perez announced his candidacy for the leadership position in the Andalusian Democratic Socialist Party following previous leader Hernan Figueroa's resignation. Although polling generally well with older and younger Democratic Socialists, Perez was defeated, earning third place. Despite this, he became a vocal supporter of newly-elected leader Enrique Rios.

In 2013, Perez announced his candidacy for the Congress of Deputies, running to represent western Seville in the national legislature. Considered a safe Democratic Socialist district, Perez was easily be elected, securing 67% of the vote. As a member of the Congress of Deputies, Perez quickly emerged as a leader in the "new left" faction of the Democratic Socialists, alongside Alicia Borgloon. He also emerged as a critic of party leadership, who he accused of being "corporate goons". In 2016, amid a wave of popularity, Perez declared his candidacy in the 2016 party leadership election, becoming a representative of the leftist factions of the Democratic Socialists. Perez won in a landslide, and became the Leader of the Opposition following his inauguration as party leader.

During his short tenure as Leader of the Opposition, Perez heavily criticize the preimership of Miguel Miranda and endorsed legislation that was proposed by leftist elements within the Democratic Socialists and outside the party, specifically from Leftwards!, which at the time formed a small part of the unofficial opposition. Following the party's election victory in 2017, Perez becme the fourth Prime Minister of Spain, and the second Democratic Socialist to assume the position.

Prime Minister

Main article: Premiership of Gabriel Perez

See also: First Perez ministry and Second Perez ministry

Foreign policy

A avid Europeanist, Perez has taken steps towards strengthening Spain's relationship with the European Community. In 2018, Perez became the first head of government of a European Community member to publicly advocate for the democratization of the organization. In a 2018 interview, Perez wished to see the European Community "transformed into something like the Conference of American States, where as representatives are elected, not appointed." In 2019, Perez was one of six leaders who called for the creation of a European currency, and in the same year Perez replaced a number of notable anti-European ministers in his government's foreign ministry, which was considered one of the largest shake ups in Spanish political history.

Identifying as a non-interventionist, Perez has worked to distance Spain from Northern Treaty Organization and other military alliances. In 2018, he announced the rescinding of Spain's candidacy to NTO, believing that the nation was dragged into "endless conflict" if it were accepted. During his tenure as Prime Minister, Perez has advocated for greater relations with the United Commonwealth and other Landonist nations, believing that trade with these nations was an "untapped gold mine". In January of 2020, Perez became the first sitting Spanish leader post-revolution to travel to the Andes. During a joint press conference with Rafael Guzmán, Perez announced a number of new diplomatic initiatives that worked to normalize relations between the two nations.

Domestic policy

Following his election, Perez immediately announced plans to greater expand the Spanish welfare state and healthcare system. Under his Adios Pobreza initiative, Spain has seen a major increase in spending on welfare programs targeting poverty. Spain also see a major increase in the budget of the Spanish General Health System, Spain's public healthcare system. In 2018, Perez announced plans to end private healthcare in Spain, believing that "nobody shouldn't receive better healthcare because they pay more". Since this announcement, there has been no move to permanently outlaw private healthcare in Spain, mainly due to the backlash the government received.

In 2018, Perez faced controversy for his suspension of de-landonization programs and for his praise of former Landonist leaders and programs. In the same year, Perez announced his intentions to "buy back" former state-owned corporations, and began a process of nationalizing Spain's rail system. Under Perez, the Spanish parliament approvef the largest budget increase in Spanish history in, approving a total budget of 193.1 billion pesetas in 2019. Included in the budget was increased government spending in public transit, infrastructure, and the "revitalization" of Spain's solar energy industry. He also threated private businesses that provide civil services with nationalization if they did not cooperate with his environmental policies in 2019.

Perez was heavily criticized for his response to the 2019 Canary Islands independence crisis, which involved suspending the Canary Islands' constitution, enacting de facto martial law, and limiting reporting on the crisis. Perez denied initial reports of media censorship in the Canary Islands, but admited of such during a July 2019 press conference, where he justified his actions in the islands by claiming that uncheck reporting on the crisis "embolden rebels and terrorists into action". In 2020, Perez restored the Canary Islands constitution at the request of the provincial government.

COVID-19 pandemic

On March 13, 2020, Perez declared a state of alarm amid a massive increase in COVID-19 infections across Spain. On March 15, Perez formally announced a nationwide lockdown, instituting a nationwide mask mandate and indoor capacity limit. On March 18, Perez implemented a ban on non-essential travel, and ordered the foreign ministry to begin assisting Spanish citizens abroad in returning to the country. He also signed an executive order extending foreign visas in the nation, and promised to work with the international community in order to ensure foreign nationals were assisted in returning to their home countries. On March 20, Perez mobilized the Guardia Civil to enforce curfews, claiming that violators of said curfew would be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. In May of 2020, amid a wave of new infections, Perez announced the closing of the Spanish-French and Spanish-Portuguese borders in an effort to contain the virus.

Following the development of COVID-19 vaccines in December of 2020, Perez organized one of the most successful rollouts in Europe. Beginning in March of 2021, Perez's government began issuing mandatory vaccination orders, with Perez himself stating that the nationwide lockdown could not be lifted until "the people of Spain did their civic duty" and get vaccinated. Perez began facing criticism for continue the nationwide lockdown even after neighboring nations end their own lockdowns, with many accusing him of using the public health crisis for political motives as many protests and events held in opposition to him and his policies were broken up. He faced greater controversy after the 2021 Spanish general election was pushed back two separate times through the national lockdown order. After extending the lockdown for another three months, they were officially ruled unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court of Spain and the government was forced to hold the election in October 2021.

The national lockdown and stay-at-home orders in Spain were lifted in January of 2022, while the COVID-19 vaccine mandate and some restriction orders have remained in place.

Political positions

Perez identifies as a socialist, progressive, and anti-capitalist. Perez is apart of the "new left" faction of the Democratic Socialist Party, which has been characterized as generally left wing to far left. Perez opposes capitalism in Spain and has advocated for and pursued greater regulations on the Spanish free market. He supports the nationalization of a number of Spanish economic industries, especially the health, transportation, and energy industries. Perez is a firm supporter of gay rights and abortion, publicly opposing the influence of both Avigonese and Roman churches in Spain.

Since his election as Prime Minister, Perez has been criticized for his "revisionist" view on the Spanish People's Republic. He has openly criticized the motives behind the Spanish Revolution of 2000 and has criticized many of its leaders. Throughout his tenure, Perez has casted doubt on the motives and characters of many of the revolution's leaders, claiming that some were "bought by corporations and funded by westerners". He has also occasionally defended leaders and policies of the Spanish People's Republic. When questioned about rolling back the policies of his predecessor, Perez claimed that returning to some the policies of the Landonist government "wasn't a bad idea", claiming that "bad people promoting good policies does not make them bad". Perez was the first prime minister to abstain from participating in the events of Memorial Day, which is a holiday in Spain that recognizes the "atrocities and crimes against humanity" committed by the Spanish People's Republic.

On foreign policy, Perez is a firm supporter of the European Community and supports the democratization of the organization, hoping to transform it into something like the Conference of American States. Perez opposes Spanish membership in NATO, believing that it would lead Spain into a number of "useless" conflicts. However, his opposition also stems from his support of improving relations with the "Landonist Bloc", specifically the United Commonwealth and the Andes. As a supporter of Atlanticism, Perez has been generally categorized as an critic of the Sierran-Spanish relationship, being a firm critic of Sierra during his early political career.

Personal life

Perez has remained unmarried, though has been in a number of romantic relationships. When asked on his bachelor status, Perez cited his reluctance to commit to someone as a primary factor. In 2021, it was reported by El País that Perez disliked children, though the government dismissed these claims as rumors. Since his teens, Perez has identified as non-religious. Throughout his political career, he has stated his "open-mindedness" to religion, but has criticized organized religions a number of times.