José María Aznar facts for kids
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José María Aznar
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Aznar in 2020
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| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 5 May 1996 – 17 April 2004 |
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| Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
| 1st Deputy | Francisco Álvarez-Cascos Mariano Rajoy Rodrigo Rato |
| 2nd Deputy | Rodrigo Rato Javier Arenas |
| Preceded by | Felipe González |
| Succeeded by | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero |
| President of the People's Party | |
| In office 1 April 1990 – 2 October 2004 |
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| Deputy | Francisco Álvarez-Cascos Javier Arenas Mariano Rajoy |
| Preceded by | Manuel Fraga |
| Succeeded by | Mariano Rajoy |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 21 November 1989 – 4 May 1996 |
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| Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
| Prime Minister | Felipe González |
| Preceded by | Manuel Fraga Iribarne |
| Succeeded by | Felipe González |
| President of the Junta of Castile and León | |
| In office 27 July 1987 – 16 September 1989 |
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| Preceded by | José Constantino Nalda |
| Succeeded by | Jesús Posada |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 21 November 1989 – 15 January 2004 |
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| Constituency | Madrid |
| In office 18 November 1982 – 7 July 1987 |
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| Constituency | Ávila |
| Member of the Cortes of Castile and León | |
| In office 10 June 1987 – 16 September 1989 |
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| Constituency | Ávila |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
José María Alfredo Aznar López
25 February 1953 Madrid, Spain |
| Political party | People's Alliance (1979–1989) People's Party (1989–) |
| Other political affiliations |
Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas |
| Spouse | |
| Children | José María (b. 1978) Ana (b. 1981) Alonso (b. 1988) |
| Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
| Signature |  |
José María Alfredo Aznar López was born on February 25, 1953. He is a Spanish politician who served as the prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He was also the leader of the People's Party (PP), a major political group in Spain.
As a young person, he was part of a student group called the Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas. He studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid. After finishing his studies, he worked as a tax inspector for the government. He later joined the People's Alliance, which became the People's Party in 1989.
Aznar led the government of Castile and León from 1987 to 1989. He then became the Leader of the Opposition for Spain from 1989 to 1996. In 1995, he survived an attack by the Basque group ETA.
His party, the People's Party, won the most votes in the 1996 election. He became prime minister on May 4, 1996. During his time in office, Spain's economy grew. He also worked to make the economy more open and privatized many state-owned companies.
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About José María Aznar's Early Life
José María Aznar was born in Madrid in 1953. His father, Manuel Aznar Acedo, was an army officer and journalist. His grandfather, Manuel Aznar Zubigaray, was also a journalist. Both his father and grandfather held government jobs during the time of the dictatorship.
He went to school at the Colegio del Pilar in Madrid. When he was 16, Aznar joined a student group called the Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas (FES). This group was against the Francoist government. Aznar was in charge of promoting the group's ideas to high school students.
Aznar earned a law degree from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1975. The next year, in 1976, he became a tax inspector for the government.
Becoming a Politician
After Francisco Franco died and Spain became a democracy again, Aznar joined the Alianza Popular (AP) in January 1979. He became the Secretary General of the party in La Rioja until 1980. In 1981, he joined the AP's national leadership team.
In October 1982, he was elected to parliament, representing Ávila. In 1985, he became the head of the AP in Castile and León. In 1987, he became the president of the region. He formed a government with another party, the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS).
Leading the Opposition
In 1989, Aznar was chosen to be the new leader of the AP. The party was then renamed the Partido Popular (People's Party, or PP). He was confirmed as the leader in March 1990. The PP then joined the more centrist Christian Democratic group in the European Parliament.
In the 1993 election, the PP lost again, but they got more votes than before. They did well in the 1994 European elections and 1995 local elections.
On April 19, 1995, Aznar's armored car saved him from an ETA bomb attack.
The PP won the general election on March 3, 1996. This ended 13 years of rule by the PSOE party. Aznar's party won 156 out of 350 seats. He needed support from other regional parties to form a government. He became prime minister on May 4, 1996.
José María Aznar as Prime Minister
Aznar's government was the first conservative government in Spain since 1983.
First Term: 1996-2000
Aznar's government continued the plan to join the European Union's single currency. They worked hard to meet the requirements for this. Aznar also announced that the government would sell its remaining shares in the Telefónica telecommunications company and the oil group Repsol. This started a time of privatizing many state-owned companies.
During his first term, the economy grew, and Spain met the rules to join the eurozone. However, unemployment remained somewhat high. A sad event during this time was the killing of PP politician Miguel Ángel Blanco by ETA. Aznar tried to talk with ETA between 1998 and 1999, but they could not agree, and the violence continued.
Second Term: 2000-2004
Spanish voters re-elected Aznar in the 2000 general election. This time, his party won a clear majority with 183 out of 350 seats. The economy continued to grow, and unemployment finally started to fall during his second term.
In foreign policy, Spain became closer to the United States and the Bush administration. This happened after the September 11 attacks. Aznar supported the American-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2002, Aznar's government faced strong criticism for how they handled the Prestige oil spill in Galicia. This was a big environmental disaster. Support for the PP also went down after the invasion of Iraq. Most Spanish people did not support this war, but Spain still helped the U.S. and the UK. A 2003 poll showed that 91% of Spaniards were against the invasion of Iraq.
In January 2004, Aznar announced a new general election. He chose Mariano Rajoy to be the PP's candidate, as he had promised not to seek a third term. Even with political tensions, polls suggested the People's Party would win again because of the strong economy.
Madrid Train Bombings and End of Term
Three days before the 2004 general election, on March 11, 2004, 10 bombs exploded in the Madrid train bombings. These attacks killed 191 people.
At first, the government said that the bombings might have been done by ETA. However, the PP government kept blaming ETA even when evidence pointed to an Islamist group. Many people felt the government was hiding information. This led to large protests across Spain. People chanted, "We want the truth before we vote!"
Three days after the bombings, the opposing PSOE won the elections. Aznar appeared before a special committee in November 2004. He said he believed the attacks were not from "faraway deserts or remote mountains."
After Being Prime Minister
After leaving office on April 17, 2004, José María Aznar became the head of the FAES think tank. This group is connected to the PP. He was also a member of the Council of State from 2005 to 2006.
Aznar was a special scholar at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He taught classes on European politics and relationships between countries. He also taught a course on political leadership.
In 2006, he joined the Board of Directors of News Corporation, a large media company. He is also a member of the Club de Madrid, an organization of former leaders who work to promote democracy. Aznar was the honorary president of the PP until 2016. In February 2024, he stopped working as a lobbyist for Philip Morris.
Aznar's Views
Views on Environmental Issues
In October 2008, Aznar said that climate change is a "scientifically questionable" idea. He felt it had become like a religion, and its followers were "enemies of freedom." These ideas were similar to those of Czech President Václav Klaus. Aznar's government had signed the Kyoto Protocol in 1998, so his new views surprised some people.
The People's Party said they did not agree with Aznar's views on the environment. They called him part of a "skeptical minority" within the party.
Views on Foreign Policy
Israel
In 2010, Aznar started the Friends of Israel Initiative. Its goal is to support Israel and its right to live in peace. He said that the world must support Israel because "if it goes down, we all go down."
He also said that Israel is the West's first line of defense and must be protected. In 2014, Aznar spoke in the British House of Commons. He said that the European Union needs Israel. He suggested that Israel should become a full member of the EU without any conditions.
Personal Life
In 1977, Aznar married Ana Botella. They have three children: José María, Ana, and Alonso. Their daughter Ana married Alejandro Agag in 2002. They have four children.
Books by José María Aznar
- Libertad y solidaridad (1991)
- La España en que yo creo (1995)
- España: la segunda transición (1995)
- Ocho años de Gobierno (2004)
- Retratos y perfiles: de Fraga a Bush (2005)
- Cartas a un joven español (2007)
- España puede salir de la crisis (2009)
- Memorias I (2012)
Awards and Honors
- Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (2004)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Prince Henry (1996)
- Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland (2003)
- Honorary Doctorate, Florida International University (1998)
- Honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Sacred Heart of Milan (2007)
- Honorary Doctorate by the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (2008)
- Honorary Doctorate, University of Santiago de Chile (2008)
- Honorary Doctorate by the Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala (2008)
- Honorary Doctorate by the Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola in Lima (2009)
- Honorary Doctorate, Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (2009)
- Honorary Doctorate from the Catholic University San Antonio (2010)
- Gold Medal of Madrid (2011)
- Honorary Doctorate from the University of the Americas Ecuador (2011)
- America Award of the Italy-USA Foundation (2019)
Images for kids
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José María Aznar's signature.
See also
In Spanish: José María Aznar para niños
