Joan Saura facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Joan Saura
Minister of Home Affairs, Institutional Relations and Participation of the Generalitat de Catalunya
In office 29 November 2006 – 29 December 2010
Preceded by	Montserrat Tura and Joan Saura i Laporta
Succeeded by	Felip Puig (as Minister of Home Affairs) Joana Ortega (as Vice President and Minister of Governance and Institutional Relations)
Constituency	Province of Barcelona
Minister of Institutional Relations and Participation of the Generalitat de Catalunya
In office 17 December 2003 – 29 November 2006
Preceded by	Josep Maria Pelegrí i Aixut
Succeeded by	Himself As Minister of Home Affairs, Institutional Relations and Participation
Spanish Senator for Catalonia
In office 9 February 2011 – 26 October 2015
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the Province of Barcelona
In office 29 May 1988 – 5 October 2010
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 3 March 1996 – 14 March 2004
Personal details
Born	(1950-04-24) 24 April 1950 (age 75) Barcelona, Spain
Political party	Initiative for Catalonia Greens

Joan Saura i Laporta is a former politician from Catalonia, Spain. He was born in Barcelona in 1950. He became known for his work in politics and his efforts to help people.

Early Life and Community Work

Joan Saura studied Industrial Chemistry at the Technical Engineering School. From a young age, he was interested in helping his community. In 1973, he joined the Workers' Commissions (CCOO), a trade union. He was working for an electricity company called FECSA at the time.

He also helped start the La Florida Neighbourhood Association in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat in 1974. This shows his early commitment to local community issues.

Working in Local Government

In 1979, Joan Saura became a town councilor in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. This was during the first democratic local elections in Spain. He was part of the local government until 1991.

From 1983 to 1987, he also led the Public Transport commission in Barcelona. This role involved making decisions about how public transport worked in the city.

Serving in Parliament

Joan Saura was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia in 1988. He represented Barcelona for the Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds (ICV) party. He served as a deputy until 1995.

During this time, he was a spokesperson for his party. He also became the president of the ICV group in 1993. He worked on various important topics, including economy, finance, and industry.

In 1996, he was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies. He represented Barcelona Province and was re-elected in 2000. Here, he worked on committees for the environment and defense.

Key Initiatives and Stances

As a deputy, Joan Saura supported several important changes. He pushed for a higher minimum wage to help workers. He also worked to fight unfair practices by employers.

He was a strong supporter of same-sex marriage in Spain. He also promoted the Tobin tax, which is a tax on financial transactions.

He opposed several other plans and events. These included a national water plan, changes to labor laws, and a law about teaching quality. He also spoke out against the Prestige oil spill and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Leading the ICV Party

Joan Saura became the vice-president of the ICV party in 1993. He was also in charge of the party's relationships with the rest of Spain.

In November 2000, he was chosen as the President of ICV at the party's 6th Assembly. In 2002, his party teamed up with United Left and Els Verds-Esquerra Ecologista for elections.

Becoming a Minister

In 2002, Joan Saura was chosen as the candidate to become the president of the Generalitat de Catalunya. This is the government of Catalonia. He started a campaign called "What do you think?" to get ideas from people for the party's plans.

In the 2003 elections, his party won nine seats in the Catalan Parliament. After some discussions, he became the Minister of Institutional Relations and Participation. Later, he also served as the Minister of Home Affairs.

See also

In Spanish: Joan Saura para niños