Pere Aragonès facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Pere Aragonès
Official portrait, 2021
132nd President of the Government of Catalonia
In office 24 May 2021 – 10 August 2024 (Acting: 29 September 2020 – 24 May 2021)
Monarch	Felipe VI
Vice President	Jordi Puigneró Laura Vilagrà
Preceded by	Quim Torra
Succeeded by	Salvador Illa
Vice President of Catalonia
In office 2 June 2018 – 24 May 2021
President	Quim Torra
Preceded by	Oriol Junqueras (Direct rule from 27 October 2017)
Succeeded by	Jordi Puigneró
Minister of Economy and Finance of Catalonia
In office 2 June 2018 – 24 May 2021
President	Quim Torra
Preceded by	Oriol Junqueras (Direct rule from 27 October 2017)
Succeeded by	Jaume Giró
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
In office 12 March 2021 – 19 March 2024
Constituency	Barcelona
In office 5 December 2006 – 21 January 2016
Preceded by	Josep Huguet
Succeeded by	Maria Assumpta Rosell i Medall
Constituency	Barcelona
Member of Pineda de Mar Municipal Council
In office 11 June 2011 – 26 April 2018
Succeeded by	Meritxell Mateu Estopa
Personal details
Born	Pere Aragones i Garcia (1982-11-16) 16 November 1982 (age 42) Pineda de Mar, Catalonia, Spain
Citizenship	Spanish
Political party	Republican Left of Catalonia
Alma mater	Open University of Catalonia University of Barcelona
Occupation	Lawyer, academic
Website	Official website: https://perearagones.esquerrarepublicana.cat/

Pere Aragonès i Garcia (born 16 November 1982) is a Catalan lawyer and a former politician. He was the President of the Government of Catalonia from 2021 to 2024.

Before becoming President, he served as Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance of Catalonia from 2018 to 2021. He was also the acting President for a period between 2020 and 2021. Pere Aragonès is a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party.

Early Life and Education

Pere Aragonès was born on 16 November 1982 in Pineda de Mar, a town in Catalonia, Spain. He studied law at the Open University of Catalonia. He also earned a master's degree in economic history from the University of Barcelona (UB).

He also studied public policy and economic development at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He was also working on a Ph.D. in economic history from the University of Barcelona.

Joining Politics

Aragonès became involved in politics at a young age. In 1998, he joined the Young Republican Left of Catalonia. This is the youth group of the Republican Left of Catalonia party. He was their national spokesperson from 2003 to 2007.

He officially joined the ERC party in 2000. Since 2003, he has been a member of the ERC's executive committee. He is also a member of the cultural organization Òmnium Cultural.

Political Career

Pere Aragonès worked as a lawyer, focusing on company and public administration law. He was also a researcher and a professor at the University of Perpignan. In January 2016, he became the Secretary of Economy for the Catalan government.

Member of Parliament

Aragonès first ran for the Parliament of Catalonia in 2003 and 2006 but was not elected. In December 2006, he became a member of the Parliament of Catalonia. This happened after another member resigned.

He was re-elected in the regional elections of 2010, 2012, and 2015. He later resigned from parliament when he was appointed Secretary of Economy.

Aragonès at a Saint George's Day event on 23 April 2018

Local Government Role

From 2011 to 2018, Aragonès was a member of the municipal council in his hometown, Pineda de Mar. He was elected in the local elections of 2011 and 2015. He resigned from the Pineda de Mar Municipal Council in April 2018.

Vice President and Minister

On 19 May 2018, the new President of Catalonia, Quim Torra, chose Pere Aragonès to be the Vice President of Catalonia and Minister of Economy and Finance. He officially took these roles on 2 June 2018.

In March 2020, Aragonès announced on Twitter that he had contracted COVID-19. In September 2020, he became the acting President of Catalonia. This happened after the Spanish Supreme Court removed President Joaquim Torra from office.

Aragonès and other members of the Catalan government on 2 June 2018

Presidency of Catalonia

On 21 May 2021, after the 2021 Catalan elections, Pere Aragonès became the President of Catalonia. He was the first President from the Esquerra Republicana party since Josep Tarradellas in the 1980s.

Key Initiatives as President

In June 2021, President Aragonès welcomed the decision by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to pardon some people involved in the 2017 independence attempt. However, Aragonès stated he would seek a full amnesty for all those involved.

A "dialogue table" was set up between the Catalan and Spanish governments. This was meant to help resolve the political conflict related to the Catalan independence movement. However, this dialogue did not lead to many effective changes.

Aragonès with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on 15 July 2022

Government Changes

In October 2022, the coalition government led by Aragonès broke apart. This was mainly due to disagreements between the two ruling parties about how to achieve independence. After this, the ERC formed a minority government. They received support from the Socialists' Party of Catalonia.

During the formation of the Spanish government in 2023, ERC and the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party made a deal. This agreement included transferring control of the Rodalies de Catalunya commuter rail system to the Catalan Government.

Aragonès's government in 2023

End of Presidency

In March 2024, Pere Aragonès called for a snap election. This happened because the Parliament of Catalonia did not approve his government's yearly budget. In the election, the pro-independence parties lost their majority in parliament for the first time since 2012.

The day after the election, Aragonès announced that he would be retiring from politics.

Electoral History

Pere Aragonès has participated in several elections. Here is a summary of his electoral history:

See also

In Spanish: Pere Aragonès para niños