Eduardo Andrés Julio Zaplana Hernández-Soro (born 3 April 1956) is a Spanish politician who served as Minister of Labour and Social Issues from 2002 to 2004, President of the Valencian Government from 1995 to 2002 and

Spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

of the Partido Popular (PP) in the

Spanish Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. Congress has ...

from 2004 to 2008.

Biography

A lawyer, Zaplana studied at the University of Alicante. After involvement in the now defunct Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), Zaplana joined PP. He served as mayor of

Benidorm Benidorm ( , , ) is a municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Known as the “New York City, New York of the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean”, Benidorm has been a tourist destinatio ...

from 1991 to 1994; he also served in the Valencian Regional Parliament as a deputy, becoming president of the

Valencian Community The Valencian Community is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid wit ...

in 1995, a position he held until 24 July 2002. He resigned after being appointed Minister of Employment and Social Security, a post he held until the 2004 General Election. He served as a senator from 2002 until 2004, when he was elected to the Spanish Congress, representing

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

and becoming PP's main spokesman in Congress. For 2008, he changed electoral districts, moving to

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, where he was fourth on the PP list. Following PP's election defeat in March 2008, he resigned as PP Spokesman, stating that he intended to become a backbench MP. On 29 April, he resigned as PP MP altogether, announcing that he would become a European delegate for

Telefónica , S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...

. In 2017, the media reported some of his opinions about Spanish conservative leaders. In May 2018, Eduardo Zaplana was arrested for money laundering and bribery. The general coordinator of PP, Fernando Martínez Maíllo, announced that party will suspend Zaplana's party membership.

Personal life

He is married with three children.

References

External links

*Biography at Spanish Congress site

*Transcription of telephone conversation between Eduardo Zaplana and Salvador Palop related to the Naseiro corruption case (in Spanish)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaplana, Eduardo 1956 births Living people Presidents of the Valencian Government Politicians from Cartagena, Spain Members of the 8th Congress of Deputies (Spain) Members of the 9th Congress of Deputies (Spain) Members of the Senate of Spain Prisoners and detainees of Spain Spanish politicians convicted of crimes Spanish prisoners and detainees Mayors of places in the Valencian Community Members of the 3rd Corts Valencianes Members of the 4th Corts Valencianes Members of the 5th Corts Valencianes People's Party (Spain) politicians People's Party of the Valencian Community politicians University of Alicante alumni