MADRID (Reuters) - The Unidas Podemos alliance of hard-left parties is set to take a deputy premiership and four ministries in Spain’s first coalition government in decades led by the Socialists of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, according to sources.
Sanchez is expected next week to announce the cabinet line-up of around 20 posts, up from 17 previously.
Following are snapshots of the likely ministers from Unidas Podemos (Together We Can), including Pablo Iglesias who is set to become one of three deputy prime ministers.
PABLO IGLESIAS - a deputy prime minister
Political scientist and lecturer Iglesias, 40, founded Podemos in 2014 with colleagues from the Complutense University, building up on the anti-austerity protest movement in Spain.
Podemos quickly emerged as one of the main political forces that effectively overturned Spain’s decades-old two-party system, but its support has ebbed after internal disputes divided its leadership. Several left-wing parties joined Podemos to run on a single Unidas Podemos ticket last year.
After failing to agree with Sanchez on forming a coalition government last year amid mutual accusations of betraying each other’s trust, Iglesias and Sanchez smoothed out their differences after a repeat parliamentary election in November.
IRENE MONTERO - minister for equality
Lawmaker since 2016, Unidas Podemos’ spokesperson Montero, 31, is a trained psychologist and a prominent feminist, who has actively advocated women’s rights in parliament.
Montero has three children with her partner, Podemos leader Iglesias.
ALBERTO GARZON - consumer affairs minister
Economist and politician Garzon, 34, has been a lawmaker for United Left since 2011. His party joined forces with Podemos ahead of last April’s election.
Garzon is a card-carrying member of the Spanish Communist Party - one of his books published in 2017 is titled “Why I am a Communist” - and his appointment marks the first time in eight decades that a Communist has become a cabinet member.
The newly created ministry will deal with consumer rights and one of its main tasks will be to regulate gambling.
YOLANDA DIAZ - labor minister
The 48-year-old trained lawyer is set to take over a diminished Labour Ministry that should no longer be in charge of social security and migration issues.
MANUEL CASTELLS - minister of higher education
Sociologist and economist Manuel Castells, 77, is an independent whose name was proposed by the mayor of Barcelona and Podemos ally in Catalonia Ada Colau to lead the new Ministry of Higher Education.
The prominent scholar, who taught for 24 years at the University of California, was one of the signatories of a manifesto in favor of a referendum on Catalonia’s right to self-determination.
