Excelentísimo Señor José María Aznar OIC |
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Prime Minister of Spain | |
In office 4 May 1996 – 16 April 2004 |
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Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
Deputy |
First
Second
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Preceded by | Felipe González |
Succeeded by | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero |
President of the People's Party | |
In office 1 April 1990 – 2 October 2004 |
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Deputy |
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Preceded by | Manuel Fraga |
Succeeded by | Mariano Rajoy |
Leader of the Opposition | |
In office 4 September 1989 – 4 May 1996 |
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Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
Prime Minister | Felipe González |
Preceded by | Manuel Fraga Iribarne |
Succeeded by | Felipe González |
President of the Junta of Castile and León | |
In office 27 July 1987 – 16 September 1989 |
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Preceded by | José Constantino Nalda |
Succeeded by | Jesús Posada |
Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
In office 21 November 1989 – 15 January 2004 |
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Constituency | Madrid |
In office 18 November 1982 – 7 July 1987 |
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Constituency | Avila |
Personal details | |
Born |
José María Alfredo Aznar López 25 February 1953 Madrid, Spain |
Political party |
People's Alliance (1979–1989) People's Party (1989–) |
Other political affiliations |
Front of Syndicalist Students |
Spouse(s) | Ana Botella (m. 1977) |
Children | José María (b. 1978) Ana (b. 1981) Alonso (b. 1988) |
Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Signature |
José María Alfredo Aznar López (Spanish pronunciation: [xoˈse maˈɾi.a alˈfɾeðo aθˈnar ˈlopeθ]; born 25 February 1953) served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is a director of News Corporation.
Aznar was born in Madrid in 1953, was the son of Manuel Aznar Acedo, army official, journalist and radio broadcaster, and grandson of Manuel Aznar Zubigaray, a former Basque nationalist broadcaster turned Falangist propagandist and a prominent journalist during the Franco era. Both father and grandfather held governmental positions during the years of Spain under Franco.
He studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid, graduating in 1975, becoming a Spanish Tax Authority inspector in 1976.
As a teenager, Aznar was a member of the Frente de Estudiantes Sindicalistas (FES), a Student Union supporting the Falange, Franco's one-party fascist organization. After 1977 it would become Falange Española Independiente (FEI).
After the death of Francisco Franco and the restoration of democracy, Aznar joined Alianza Popular (AP) in January 1979, a few months after his wife. In March he became the Secretary General of the party in La Rioja, occupying the post until 1980. In February 1981 he joined the AP's National executive committee. He became Assistant Secretary General in February 1982.