Pablo Iglesias Turrión facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pablo Iglesias
Iglesias in 2020
Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
In office 13 January 2020 – 31 March 2021 Serving with Carmen Calvo, Nadia Calviño and Teresa Ribera
Monarch	Felipe VI
Prime Minister	Pedro Sánchez
Preceded by	Manuel Chaves (2011)
Succeeded by	Nadia Calviño
Minister of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda
In office 13 January 2020 – 31 March 2021
Prime Minister	Pedro Sánchez
Preceded by	María Luisa Carcedo (Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Welfare)
Succeeded by	Ione Belarra
Secretary General of Podemos
In office 15 November 2014 – 4 May 2021
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Ione Belarra
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 13 January 2016 – 26 March 2021
Constituency	Madrid
Member of the European Parliament
In office 1 July 2014 – 27 October 2015
Constituency	Spain
Personal details
Born	(1978-10-17) 17 October 1978 (age 46) Madrid, Spain
Political party	Podemos (2014–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Youth Union of Spain (1992–1999)
Domestic partners	Tania Sánchez (2008–2015) Irene Montero (2017–present)
Children	3
Alma mater	Complutense University Charles III University European Graduate School
Signature

Pablo Iglesias Turrión (born 17 October 1978) is a Spanish political scientist and former politician. He was the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda for Spain from 2020 to 2021. He also served as a member of the Congress of Deputies (like a parliament) from 2016 to 2021, representing Madrid. Iglesias is a co-founder of Podemos, a political party he led from 2014 until he left politics in 2021.

Before becoming a politician, he taught political science at the Complutense University of Madrid. He was also a TV host. In 2014, he was elected to the European Parliament as the main candidate for the new Podemos party. In March 2021, he announced he would leave the government to run in a regional election in Madrid. He left politics completely soon after, when his party did not perform well in the election.

Early Life and Education

Pablo Manuel Iglesias Turrión was born on 17 October 1978 in Madrid, Spain. His mother, Luisa Turrión, was a lawyer. His father, Javier Iglesias, was a history teacher. Pablo was named after Pablo Iglesias Posse, a famous leader who started the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party in 1879.

When he was two, his family moved to Soria, where he lived until he was 13. After his parents separated, he moved back to Madrid with his mother. They settled in Vallecas. At 14, he joined the Communist Youth Union of Spain. He also took part in protests that supported civil disobedience.

From 1996 to 2001, Iglesias studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid. He then studied Political Science, where he earned top grades. He also studied in Italy as part of the Erasmus programme. Besides Spanish, he can speak English and Italian.

Career Before Politics

In 2003, Pablo Iglesias started a TV show called La Tuerka on a local TV station in Vallecas. This show later moved to a bigger platform. He also earned teaching certificates and advanced degrees in political science and communication. His PhD focused on civil disobedience in the anti-globalization movement.

He worked as a lecturer in political science at the Complutense University of Madrid. He also wrote many articles for academic journals and news websites.

Iglesias in 2012, working as a reporter for La Tuerka

In 2012, he worked as a political advisor for the United Left party during an election campaign in Galicia. In 2013, he started hosting another TV show called Fort Apache. This show discussed political topics weekly.

A big change happened for Iglesias in April 2013. He was invited as a guest on a political talk show called El gato al agua. This opened doors for him to appear on many mainstream TV channels. He became a regular guest on popular political shows. In October 2013, he received an award for his work in promoting social change.

Starting Podemos

Iglesias speaking at the launch of Podemos on 16 January 2014

In late 2013, Pablo Iglesias and some friends discussed starting a new political group. They wanted to run in the 2014 European Parliament election. Iglesias had the name Podemos in mind, which means "We Can" in Spanish.

In January 2014, Iglesias officially launched the Podemos movement. He was chosen to lead the party's list in the European election. His face was even used on the ballot paper because he was more recognized than the new party itself.

Podemos won 5 seats in the European Parliament. Iglesias became a Member of the European Parliament (MEP). He worked on committees dealing with foreign affairs and human rights. He also hosted a new TV show called Otra vuelta de tuerka, where he interviewed many public figures.

On 15 November 2014, Iglesias became the first Secretary-General of Podemos. He received strong support from the party members.

Political Journey and Government Role

In October 2015, Iglesias resigned from the European Parliament. He wanted to focus on the upcoming 2015 Spanish general election in Spain. Podemos won 44 seats, becoming a significant force in the Spanish parliament.

In 2016, Podemos formed an alliance with another party, United Left, for a new general election. This alliance was called Unidos Podemos. Iglesias and Alberto Garzón (leader of United Left) made this agreement. The alliance won 71 seats, making them the third-largest group in the parliament.

In 2017, Iglesias and Podemos proposed a motion to remove the government led by Mariano Rajoy due to corruption issues. The motion did not pass.

In May 2018, Iglesias and his partner, Irene Montero, faced a vote of confidence within their party. This was because they bought a house that some members felt was too expensive for leaders of their party. However, 68.4% of members voted to support them.

After the November 2019 Spanish general election, Iglesias and Pedro Sánchez (leader of the PSOE) announced they would form a government together. This was a big step for Podemos.

Joining the Government

On 13 January 2020, Pablo Iglesias officially became the Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain. He also became the Minister of Social Rights and 2030 Agenda. As part of this role, he stopped hosting his TV shows. He appointed other Podemos members to important positions in his ministry.

Leaving Politics

On 15 March 2021, Iglesias announced he would leave his government roles. He decided to lead his party in the 2021 Madrilenian regional election in Madrid.

Before the election, Iglesias received a letter with a death threat and bullets. Similar threats were sent to other politicians. During a debate, a candidate from another party questioned if these threats were real. Iglesias walked out of the debate, followed by other politicians, because he felt this was normalizing political violence.

Podemos did not perform well in the election. After the results were announced, Iglesias stated he would resign from all his political positions and retire from politics. He mentioned that he felt he had become a target for those who disliked democracy. He and his family had also faced daily harassment at their home.

Life After Politics

After leaving politics, Pablo Iglesias returned to working in the media. He became a presenter and commentator. In November 2022, he announced plans to start a new leftist television channel called Canal Red. The channel began broadcasting online in March 2023.

Political Views

Pablo Iglesias admires the Italian Communist Party and thinkers like Antonio Gramsci. He is interested in the strategies of political leaders like Palmiro Togliatti. He has also expressed admiration for the policies of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela. However, he later changed some of his public statements about Venezuela, calling the situation there a "disaster."

Iglesias is a strong supporter of republicanism in Spain. He believes that a new republic would help keep Spain united and respect everyone's freedom. He is not religious but agrees with many of Pope Francis's views.

Electoral History

Works

Author

• Diario Red

Coauthor

Editor

Podcast

• "La Base" video podcast via Publico: https://www.publico.es/publico-tv/la-base
• "La Base" video podcast via Canal Red: https://www.youtube.com/@canalredtv/playlists

See also

In Spanish: Pablo Iglesias Turrión para niños