Manuela Carmena facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Manuela Carmena
Manuela Carmena in 2015
Mayor of Madrid
In office 13 June 2015 – 15 June 2019
Deputy	Marta Higueras
Preceded by	Ana Botella
Succeeded by	José Luis Martínez-Almeida
Member of the City Council of Madrid
In office 13 June 2015 – 17 June 2019
Member of the General Council of the Judiciary
In office 26 July 1996 – 7 November 2001
Personal details
Born	(1944-02-09) 9 February 1944 (age 81) Madrid, Spain
Political party	Más Madrid (since 2019)
Other political affiliations	PCE (1965–1981) Ahora Madrid (2015–2019)
Spouse	Eduardo Leira ​ (m. 1967)​
Children	2
Alma mater	University of Valencia
Profession	Judge lawyer politician
Signature

Manuela Carmena Castrillo (born 9 February 1944) is a Spanish lawyer and judge who later became a politician. She served as the Mayor of Madrid, the capital city of Spain, from June 2015 to June 2019. Before becoming mayor, she was a member of the General Council of the Judiciary, which is an important body in Spain's justice system.

Manuela Carmena's Early Life

Manuela Carmena was born in Madrid, Spain, on 9 February 1944. Her family had a background in small businesses. Her father owned a shirt shop, and her mother worked as a cashier. She went to the French School of the Black Ladies.

After studying law at the University of Valencia, she became a lawyer in 1965. She worked to defend the rights of workers and people who were arrested during the time of the Francoist State in Spain. She also helped start a law office where a sad event called the 1977 Atocha massacre took place.

In 1967, Carmena married an architect named Eduardo Leira. They have two children, Eva and Manuel. She was briefly involved with the Communist Party of Spain in the 1960s and 70s.

Her Career as a Judge

Manuela Carmena started her career as a judge in January 1981. She worked hard to prevent corruption in the courts. In 1986, she received the National Human Rights Award for her efforts.

She was also a founding member of a group called Judges for Democracy, which promotes progressive ideas in the justice system. From 1996 to 2001, she served as a member of the General Council of the Judiciary, a key part of Spain's judicial branch.

After Retiring from Being a Judge

Manuela Carmena in 2013, after retiring from her judicial career.

After she retired from being a judge in 2010, Carmena continued to be active in public life. She joined a think tank (a group that researches and advises on public policy) called Patronato de la Fundación Alternativas.

She also worked for the United Nations as the Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. In this role, she visited many countries, including Equatorial Guinea, Honduras, and South Africa, to check on human rights issues.

Carmena also started a helpful cooperative called "Yayos emprendedores," which means "entrepreneur grannies." This group sells children's items like games, clothes, and shoes that are made by prisoners. This helps prisoners learn skills and earn money.

Becoming Mayor of Madrid

Manuela Carmena in the City Hall, the day she became Mayor of Madrid.

In 2015, Manuela Carmena led a political group called Ahora Madrid in the local election for the City Council of Madrid. On 13 June 2015, she was elected as the Mayor of Madrid. She won with the support of other political parties.

As Mayor, Carmena worked to improve the city's finances. She reduced Madrid's city debt by a lot, about 38%, in her first 18 months. She also increased spending on social programs by 26%.

Her team organized public meetings to get ideas from citizens on how to spend part of the city's budget and on plans for improving places like the Plaza de España. Her council also changed the names of 52 streets and places that were named after figures from the Francoist dictatorship, following a law about historical memory.

Carmena ran for re-election in 2019 with a new political group called Más Madrid. Her party received the most votes, winning 19 seats in the city council. However, she was not re-elected as Mayor. This was because other parties, the People's Party, Citizens, and Vox, formed a coalition and supported another candidate, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, who became the new Mayor. Manuela Carmena then resigned from her council seat on 17 June 2019.

After Being Mayor

After leaving her role as Mayor, Manuela Carmena has continued to speak about important issues. In 2021, she talked about how important it is for people to know the truth about what is happening in the world. She believes that if people are given false information, it is hard to make good decisions for society.

Electoral History

Books Written by Manuela Carmena

• — (2020). Cuentos para soñar un mundo mejor (Stories to Dream of a Better World). Madrid: Península.
• — (2021). La joven política (The Young Politician). Madrid: Península.

Awards and Honors

• Great Cross of the Order of St. Raymond of Peñafort (2002)
• Great Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru (2015)
• Great Cross of the Order of Merit (2018)

See also

In Spanish: Manuela Carmena para niños