Íñigo Errejón

Íñigo Errejón

Errejón in 2015
Member of the Congress of Deputies
Assumed office
7 January 2016
Political Secretary of Podemos
Preceded by Position established
Personal details
Born Íñigo Errejón Galván
(1983-12-14) 14 December 1983
Madrid, Spain
Nationality Spanish
Political party Podemos (2014–present)
Alma mater Complutense University
Occupation Researcher at the Complutense University of Madrid

Íñigo Errejón Galván (born 14 December 1983)[1] is a Spanish political scientist and politician, Doctorate of Political Science[2] and member of the editorial board of the political analysis journal Viento Sur.[3] He is the Secretary for Policy and Strategy and Campaigning of the political party Podemos, whose electoral campaigns he has directed.[4] He is a member of the Congress of Deputies.

Early life

Íñigo Errejón is the son of José Antonio Errejón Villacieros, career officer and senior official in the central government during the Transition in the Workers' Party of Spain,[5] and was later one of the signatories of the Manifiesto de Tenerife, which marked the birth of the Greens in Spain,[6] and was a member of Anticapitalistas.[7]

Errejón was a scout during his adolescence.[8]

Education

He studied political science at the Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), where he earned a degree in 2006.[9] During his time at university, he joined various leftist movements with which he participated in anti-globalization protests in Genoa (July 2001, against the meeting of the G8), Prague (September 2000, during the annual meeting of the board of governors of the IMF and World Bank) and Scotland (July 2005, against a new meeting of the G8). He also took part in the mobilizations against the Iraq War and the protests of 13 March 2004 in front of the headquarters of the People's Party in Madrid after the 11-M attacks.[10]

In 2006, he was one of the founders of the student association Contrapoder, a leftist, anti-capitalist, and internationalist group that protested against Rosa Díez's appearance at the UCM and invited Evo Morales to give a conference in the Faculty of Political Science.[11]

In 2012, he received his doctorate under the direction of Heriberto Cairo Carou with the thesis The struggle for hegemony during the first government of the MAS in Bolivia (2006-2009): a discursive analysis.[12]

Political career

Latin America

Errejón began working for Center for Political and Social Studies Foundation (CEPS), a socialist, anti-capitalist think tank in Spain that performed the majority of its work in Latin America. He worked as a secretary for CEPS and is currently a part of its Executive Board.[13][14]

He has also worked in Venezuela as Director of the Political Identities research line at the GIS XXI Foundation, a polling firm linked to the Venezuelan government that was headed by Jesse Chacón.[15][16][14]

Podemos

Errejón at the presentation of Podemos in January 2014

In 2014, Pablo Iglesias appointed Errejón as campaign manager for Podemos in the European Parliament elections of 2014.[17] The campaign was a success, and the new party won 1.2 million votes.[18]

Errejón himself became one of the media leaders of the new party, participating in talk shows like The Sixth Night.[18]

On 15 November, he was chosen as one of the 11 members of the Council of Coordination of Podemos, commissioning him the office of secretary of policy.[19]

Errejón was the campaign manager for Podemos in the Andalusian parliamentary elections of 22 March 2015, in which the party won 15 seats.[4] In the same month, he participated as a speaker at the International Forum for Empowerment and Equality, held in Buenos Aires.[20] He was also campaign manager for the regional elections on 24 May that year.[4]

Controversy

University of Malaga contract

On 17 November, the newspaper El Mundo published an article written by Errejón during his time at the University of Málaga (UMA). The project, Property in Andalucia. Diagnosis, analysis and policy proposals for the commodification of housing was directed by Alberto Montero, professor of Applied Economics at the UMA and vice-president of the CEPS Foundation of which Errejón is a member. Errejón had been the only candidate to stand for the posting of research. The contract called for a day of 40 weekly hours and a gross monthly salary of 1825 monthly euros.[18]

According to the newspaper, Errejón "devoted hardly any time" to the work, while Errejón claimed that, on the contrary, his contract was renewed regularly every three months precisely because he fulfilled the tasks assigned by the research group of the UMA.[21] The same newspaper noted that the incompatibilities of the staff in the Public Administration Service Act would prevent reconciliation of paid work and receiving a salary as a researcher hired by the University of Malaga.[22] However, the project manager later stated that Errejón had permission to work from Madrid[23] and the rector of the University of Málaga, Adelaida de la Calle said that the contract was completely lawful.[24]

Following a statement by Susana Diaz, general Secretary of the PSOE-A and President of the Regional Government of Andalusia, which suggested that the university take action,[25] the UMA opened an investigation to assess whether Errejón had breached the terms of the contract.[26] The opening of proceedings was communicated to Errejón and Alberto Montero.[27]

On 4 December, Adelaida de la Calle decided to temporarily suspend Errejón's salary.[28] According to Podemos, the case was a "campaign of defamation" against Errejón for being one of the most visible faces of the party, now an emerging political force. The Podemos spokesman for Relations with Civil Society and Social Movements, Rafael Mayoral, even hinted that pressure from the Andalusian regional government could have influenced the decision taken against Errejón.[29][30] The adviser for Promotion of the Board of Andalucia, Elena Cortes of United Left, demanded that Mayoral provide evidence for the supposed interferences.[31][32]

Venezuelan government

Errejón's relationship with the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela was often criticized in Spain. He described Venezuela as his "adopted fatherland" and was a supporter of Hugo Chávez. While working at CEPS and GIS XXI Foundation, Errejón worked closely with the Bolivarian government and its officials.[14]

While working for CEPS, heavy funding for the foundation by the Bolivarian government occurred, with CEPS receiving over $5 billion when contracted by Chávez, with the president sometimes being the foundation's only client.[33] On 13 December 2013, just days before the creation of Podemos, Errejón himself signed a document about CEPS collecting €401,800 for working with Chávez's successor, Nicolás Maduro.[34] Due to this, there were suggestions that "murky" funding from Venezuela had helped Podemos, especially when CEPS helped fund debate shows that made Podemos popular. Following such allegations, Podemos and its members attempted to distance itself from the Bolivarian government.[35] However, sources from CEPS state that Errejón and other created the Latin American Centre for Strategic Geopolitics (CELAG), a branch of CEPS that was allegedly used to "collect and manage the money" even after his involvement in Podemos[34]

In November 2013 just months before protests broke out due to discontent over shortages in Venezuela and other socioeconomic issues, Errejón stated in a Venezuelan government newspaper, Correo del Orinoco, that the lines for food Venezuelans experienced for hours were "because they have more money to consume more" and that there was a "culture of queues" because Venezuelans supposedly enjoyed socializing.[36][37] Spanish newspaper La Gaceta described Errejón's explanation for the queues as "absurd".[37]

Publications

References

  1. ↑ Ficha de Íñigo Errejón, en el portal de transparencia de la página oficial de Podemos.
  2. ↑ "Íñigo Errejón (Podemos): "Hay que entenderse con formaciones que están en contra de recortes y saqueos"". eldiario.es. 27 May 2014.
  3. ↑ Sanz, Segundo (16 June 2014).
  4. 1 2 3 E., S. (9 April 2015).
  5. ↑ Galán, Lola (14 April 1985).
  6. ↑ Cabal, Esteban. "El nacimiento de Los Verdes". Historia de Los Verdes. Retrieved 26 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Sanz, Segundo (19 June 2014).
  8. ↑ Pina, Mariana (27 December 2014).
  9. ↑ Fundación General de la Universidad Complutense de Madrid (March–June 2011). "Cine, identidades políticas y hegemonía" (PDF).
  10. ↑ Iglesias Turrión, Pablo (2008). Multitud y acción colectiva postnacional. Un estudio comparado de los desobedientes: de Italia a Madrid (2000-2005) (PDF). Tesis doctoral. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid. p. 67. ISBN 978-84-692-1016-1.
  11. ↑ Barcala, Diego (24 October 2010).
  12. ↑ Errejón, Íñigo (2012). La lucha por la hegemonía durante el primer gobierno del MAS en Bolivia (2006-2009): un análisis discursivo (PDF). Tesis doctoral. Madrid: Universidad Complutense de Madrid. ISBN 978-84-66 9-3480-0.
  13. ↑ "¿Qué es la Fundación CEPS?". CEPS Foundation. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  14. 1 2 3 Ruiz Coll, M.A. (12 June 2016). "Errejón: "Venezuela es mi patria adoptiva"". OK Diario. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Sanz, Segundo (4 May 2014).
  16. ↑ Grupo de Investigación Social Siglo XXI (13 November 2013). "Íñigo Errejón Galván: Chávez y el chavismo son fuente de pedagogía política (GISXXI)".
  17. ↑ «Íñigo Errejón, jefe de campaña de Pablo Iglesias, se convierte en el nuevo líder mediático de Podemos».
  18. 1 2 3 Villaverde, Susana (17 November 2014).
  19. ↑ Europa Press (16 November 2014).
  20. ↑ «Iñigo Errejón se reúne con Noam Chomsky en Buenos Aires».
  21. ↑ Ignacio A. Castillo (20 November 2014). "Errejón cumplió con su trabajo y por eso la UMA renovó su contrato". La Opinión de Málaga.
  22. ↑ http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2014/11/21/546e556522601d853d8b4578.html
  23. ↑ Planelles, Manetto, Manuel, Francesco (19 November 2014).
  24. ↑ «La Universidad de Málaga avala el contrato de Iñigo Errejón como investigador».
  25. ↑ "Susana Díaz garantiza que Errejón tendrá que devolver el dinero de la beca recibido". 19 November 2014.
  26. ↑ Agencia EFE (21 November 2014). "La Universidad de Málaga abre un expediente para investigar si Errejón incumplió su contrato laboral". Eldiario.es.
  27. ↑ «La Universidad abre un expediente a Errejón por posible vulneración de la ley e incumplimiento del contrato», El Mundo, 21 November 2014.
  28. ↑ Esperanza Codina (4 December 2014). "La Universidad de Málaga suspende de empleo y sueldo a Iñigo Errejón". EL País.
  29. ↑ F. Manetto (4 December 2014). "Podemos atribuye el caso a "una campaña de difamación"". EL País.
  30. ↑ Publico/Europa Press (4 December 2014).
  31. ↑ «El expediente de la UMA a Errejón desata la guerra entre Podemos y el PSOE».
  32. ↑ «La Junta exige a Podemos que demuestre la injerencia de Díaz en el expediente a Errejón».
  33. ↑ "Spanish foundation given USD 5 bn by gov't of late Hugo Chávez". El Universal. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  34. 1 2 Chicote, Javier (23 June 2016). "Errejón firmó el cobro de 401.800 euros de Venezuela para asesorías de CEPS en 2014" (in Spanish). ABC. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  35. ↑ Badcock, James (2 March 2015). "Podemos struggles to rebuff Venezuela link". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
  36. ↑ Nuria, Val (26 May 2016). "Íñigo Errejón: "En Venezuela hay colas porque tienen más dinero para consumir más"" (in Spanish). Ok Diario. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  37. 1 2 Núñez Huesca, Rafael (25 May 2016). "Las absurdas causas de las colas en Venezuela, según Errejón". La Gaceta. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
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