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 The president of the Valencian Government ( ca-valencia, President de la Generalitat Valenciana) is the head of the Generalitat Valenciana, the government of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia. The president is chosen by the Valencian par ...

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 ( es, link=no, Congreso de los Diputados, italic=unset) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid. It has 350 members elect ...

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 town and municipality in the province of Alicante, Valencia, on the Mediterranean coast of Spain. Benidorm has been a tourist destination within Spain since 1925, when its port was extended and the first hotels were built, though ...

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

Valencian Community The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and the Community of Madrid with ...

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 ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...

and becoming PP's main

spokesman 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 ...

in Congress. For 2008, he changed electoral districts, moving to

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, where he was fourth on the PP list. Following PP's election defeat in March 2008, he resigned as PP

Spokesman 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 ...

, 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 Telefónica, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the world. It provides fixed and mobile telephony, broadba ...

. 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) People's Party (Spain) politicians Members of the Senate of Spain 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