Meritxell Batet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Most Excellent Meritxell Batet MP
President of the Congress of Deputies
In office 21 May 2019 – 16 August 2023
Monarch	Felipe VI
Preceded by	Ana Pastor Julián
Succeeded by	Francina Armengol
Minister for Territorial Policy and Civil Service
In office 7 June 2018 – 20 May 2019
Monarch	Felipe VI
Prime Minister	Pedro Sánchez
Preceded by	Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría (Territorial Policy) Cristóbal Montoro (Civil Service)
Succeeded by	Luis Planas
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 21 May 2019 – 6 September 2023
Constituency	Barcelona
In office 13 July 2016 – 15 June 2018
Constituency	Barcelona
In office 13 January 2016 – 19 July 2016
Constituency	Madrid
In office 2 April 2004 – 13 January 2016
Constituency	Barcelona
Personal details
Born	(1973-03-19) 19 March 1973 (age 52) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Political party	PSC-PSOE (2008–present)
Spouse	José María Lassalle ​ ​ (m. 2005; div. 2016)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Pompeu Fabra University
Occupation	Jurist, academic and politician

Meritxell Batet Lamaña (born 19 March 1973) is a Spanish lawyer and politician. She was the President of the Congress of Deputies from 2019 to 2023. This is like being the speaker of a country's main law-making body. Before that, she was a minister in the Spanish government. She worked as the Minister for Territorial Policy and Civil Service from June 2018 to May 2019.

Meritxell Batet is a member of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC). She used to teach Constitutional Law at Pompeu Fabra University. She has been a member of the Spanish parliament for many years.

Early Life and Education

Meritxell Batet went to the Gravi School in Barcelona. She was able to go to university with the help of scholarships. In 1995, she earned her degree in Law from Pompeu Fabra University. She also studied for her doctorate there. Her thesis was about how people participate and make decisions in the European Union.

In 1998, she finished a special course in real estate and city development law. Later, in 2013, she worked on her doctoral project about how local governments in Spain work.

From 1995 to 1998, she taught Administrative Law at Pompeu Fabra University. She then taught Constitutional Law until 2018. In 2007, she received a special scholarship. This allowed her to visit different places in the United States. She saw social centers, universities, and government buildings.

Becoming a Politician

Meritxell Batet first got involved in politics while she was a student. She explained that her professor helped her get a job. She coordinated the office of Narcís Serra, a leader of the PSC. She worked with him for two years. From 2001 to 2004, she led a foundation that studied local government.

In 2004, she ran for a seat in the Congress of Deputies. This is one of the two houses of the Spanish parliament. She was on the list for Barcelona and was elected. In 2008, she officially joined the PSC party.

She was re-elected to parliament in the 2008 and 2011 elections.

In 2013, she voted differently from her party on an important issue. She voted to allow a referendum in Catalonia. This vote was about Catalonia's future with Spain. Her party fined her and other members for this vote.

In 2014, she got an important role in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). She became the Secretary of Studies and Programs. This was her first leadership position in the party.

For the 2015 election, she was second on the PSOE list for Madrid. She also helped create the party's election plan. She worked on ideas for changing the Spanish Constitution.

In 2016, she was chosen to lead the PSC's list for Barcelona in the general election. She was one of the few members who voted against Mariano Rajoy becoming prime minister.

Minister for Territorial Policy

While she was a minister, Batet was part of the National Security Council.

In June 2018, there was a vote to remove the government of Mariano Rajoy. The vote passed, and Pedro Sánchez became the new Prime Minister. He chose Meritxell Batet to be a minister in his new government.

On June 6, the King of Spain, Felipe VI, officially appointed her. She became the Minister for Territorial Policy and Civil Service. She took her oath on June 7. To focus on her new job, she left her seat in parliament on June 15. She had been a member of parliament for over 14 years.

She left her role as minister on May 20, 2019. This was so she could lead the Congress of Deputies.

President of the Congress of Deputies

Meritxell Batet leading the session where Pedro Sánchez was voted in as Prime Minister in July 2019.

Meritxell Batet was elected to the Congress of Deputies again in the April 2019 election. On May 17, 2019, her party announced she would be their candidate for the next speaker (president) of the lower house.

The new parliament sessions began on May 21. Meritxell Batet was elected president, as expected. She received support from her own party and other parties. These included Unidas Podemos, the Basque Nationalist Party, and others.

The parliament was dissolved on September 24, 2019. This happened because a new government could not be formed. Batet was re-elected in the November 2019 election. Her party again put her forward as their candidate for president of Congress. She was re-elected president in December 2019.

Personal Life

In August 2005, Meritxell Batet married José María Lassalle. He was also a member of parliament, but for a different party. They had two twin daughters. They divorced in May 2016.

Health

On December 27, 2021, Batet tested positive for COVID-19. This was during a time when new versions of the virus were spreading in Spain.

See also

In Spanish: Meritxell Batet para niños