Francisco Álvarez-Cascos facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Excellent Francisco Álvarez-Cascos
Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
In office 6 May 1996 – 27 April 2000
Prime Minister	José María Aznar
Preceded by	Narcís Serra
Succeeded by	Mariano Rajoy
7th President of the Principality of Asturias
In office 15 July 2011 – 26 May 2012
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Preceded by	Vicente Álvarez Areces
Succeeded by	Javier Fernández Fernández
Personal details
Born	(1947-10-01) 1 October 1947 (age 77) Madrid, Spain
Political party	Foro Asturias (FAC) (2011–present)
Other political affiliations	PP (1976–2009)

Francisco Álvarez-Cascos Fernández was born on October 1, 1947. He is a Spanish politician who has held important roles in the government. He was the Secretary-General of the People's Party from 1989 to 1999. Later, he served as the President of the Principality of Asturias from 2011 to 2012.

Early Life and Political Start

Francisco Álvarez-Cascos first studied to become a civil engineer. After his studies, he worked in architecture for a few years. Soon, he decided to focus on a career in politics.

Joining Political Parties

In 1976, he joined a political group called Reforma Democrática. This group later joined with another party, Alianza Popular. Both of these were right-leaning political parties. This means they generally supported traditional values and less government involvement in the economy.

Roles in Local Government

From 1979 to 1986, Álvarez-Cascos was a spokesman for the Gijón Council. He also served as a county councilor. He was part of the regional Pre-Autonomous Body, which helped prepare Asturias for more self-governance.

National Political Career

In 1982, Alianza Popular joined with other groups to form the People's Party. This new party was considered center-right. Álvarez-Cascos was elected as a senator for Asturias.

Serving in Parliament

While a senator, he also spoke for the People's Party in the regional parliament of Asturias. This parliament is called the General Junta of the Principate of Asturias. In 1986, he was elected as a deputy for Asturias. He was re-elected to this position several times, serving until 2000.

Secretary-General of the People's Party

At a big meeting of the People's Party in 1989, Álvarez-Cascos was chosen as the Secretary-General. This is a very important leadership role within the party. He was re-elected to this position three more times.

Government Minister Roles

From 1996 to 2000, he served as the First Vice President of the Government. He was also the Minister of the Presidency during this time. From 2000 to 2004, he became the Minister for Development. In 2004, he left Congress and took a break from politics.

President of Asturias

In 2009, some members of the People's Party wanted Álvarez-Cascos to run for President of Asturias. They held meetings and campaigned for him to be the party's candidate. However, the regional leaders of the party did not support him.

Forming a New Party

Because he was not supported by his party's national leader, Mariano Rajoy, he left the People's Party. In just five months, he created a new political party called Asturian Forum. In May 2011, his new party won 16 out of 45 seats in the Asturian parliament. This was the most seats for any single party.

Leading the Government

With the most seats, Francisco Álvarez-Cascos became the President of Asturias. He led a minority government, meaning his party did not have enough seats to pass laws easily. Other parties, like the People's Party and the Socialist Party, often voted against his proposals.

Resignation and New Elections

After six months, his budget for 2012 was rejected by the parliament. This made it very difficult to govern. Because of this blocked situation, he resigned on January 30, 2012. He then called for new elections to be held on March 25. In these new elections, his Asturian Forum party lost 4 seats and came in second place.

Images for kids

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  Francisco Álvarez-Cascos in 2010.

See also

In Spanish: Francisco Álvarez-Cascos para niños