Enrique Santiago
Santiago in the 2018 May Day
State Secretary for the 2030 Agenda
In office
31 March 2021 – 27 July 2022
MonarchFelipe VI
Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez
Preceded byIone Belarra
Succeeded byLilith Verstrynge
Member of the Congress of Deputies
Assumed office
21 May 2019
ConstituencyMadrid
Personal details
Born (1964-07-18) 18 July 1964 (age 59)
Madrid, Kingdom of Spain
Political partyCommunist Party of Spain (since 1980)
United Left (since 1986)
Alma materComplutense University
OccupationLawyer, politician, human rights activist

Enrique Fernando Santiago Romero (born 1964) is a Spanish lawyer and politician, who is the secretary-general of the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) since April 2018. He has been as member of the 13th Congress of Deputies, representing Madrid, since 2019.

Biography

Born on 18 July 1964 in Madrid,[1] he affiliated to the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in 1980.[2] He earned a Licentiate degree in Law at the Complutense University of Madrid.[2] A member of United Left (IU) since its beginnings as political alliance in 1986, he was the leader of the Communist Youth Union of Spain from 1991 to 1993.[2] He has also chaired the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR).[2]

He has worked as a lawyer, specialized in human rights and cases of trans-national justice, and took a role as IU representative in the public prosecution against Argentine and Chilean regimes, later filing a detention request against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.[2] He also worked as a lawyer for the family of José Couso, cameraman killed in Baghdad in 2003 by US fire, participating in the particular accusation that presented a criminal inquiry before the Audiencia Nacional, accusing the US military personnel deemed responsible for the Couso's death.[3]

The Central Committee of the PCE elected Santiago as the new Secretary-General of the party on 8 April 2018, replacing José Luis Centella.[4]

He was IU's final choice to lead the party for the 2019 Congress of Deputies election in the constituency of Madrid (IU leader Alberto Garzón opted to stand as candidate in Málaga), integrating 3rd in the list of the Unidas Podemos coalition.[5] He was elected, and became a member of the 13th term of the Lower House.

References

  1. ^ "XIII Legislatura (2019-Actualidad) Santiago Romero, Enrique Fernando". Congress of Deputies.
  2. ^ a b c d e Giménez, Ángel A. (12 December 2004). "Santiago, candidato de la juventud". El Mundo.
  3. ^ "El caso Couso ante la jurisdicción española". 29 April 2013.
  4. ^ "Enrique Santiago, elegido nuevo secretario general del PCE". eldiario.es. 8 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Enrique Santiago (Unidas Podemos): "Hace falta un Gobierno que haga políticas de izquierdas y cierre los conflictos territoriales"". eldiario.es. 29 April 2019.
Party political offices Preceded byJosé Luis Centella Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Spain Since April 2018 Succeeded byIncumbent
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