PROFILPELAJAR.COM

María Eugenia "Maru" Díaz Calvo (born 30 April 1990)^[1] is a Spanish politician for the party Podemos. First elected to the Cortes of Aragon in 2015, she led the party in the 2019 election, and was subsequently made Minister of Science, University and Knowledge Society in the Second government of Javier Lambán.

Biography

Born in Tarazona, Province of Zaragoza, Díaz studied Philosophy at the University of Zaragoza.^[1] Elected to the Cortes of Aragon in 2015, she became Podemos's spokesperson in the legislature.^[2]

In November 2018, Díaz ran to be Podemos's lead candidate for the 2019 Aragonese regional election. She defeated Erika Sanz in a tight primary decided by just 72 votes (51.4% to 48.6%).^[3] She was the youngest and only female lead candidate in the election.^[1] She ran on a platform of action against violence towards women, fighting climate change and reversing depopulation of rural areas through improving infrastructure.^[1] In the election, Podemos fell from 14 seats to five.^[4]

In August 2019, incumbent regional president Javier Lambán (PSOE) formed a four-party government with Podemos, the Aragonese Party and Chunta Aragonesista.^[5] Díaz was made Minister of Science, University and Knowledge Society; she said she would increase pay for university staff and bring high-speed internet to rural areas.^[6] Days after assuming office, she dismissed Bruno Pérez, one of her department's director generals, for supporting the Catalan independence movement; he had led a project to recreate the Estelada flag in coloured lights.^[7]

In the 2023 Aragonese regional election, Podemos lost four seats, leaving only Díaz in the Cortes.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Maru Díaz (Podemos) pide el voto por la regeneración, las nuevas ideas y las ganas "de llevar a Aragón adelante"" [Maru Díaz (Podemos) asks for the vote for regeneration, new ideas and the desire "to take Aragon forwards"]. 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 21 May 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ "Maru Díaz: "El tema del grupo parlamentario de IU no está acabado"" [Maru Díaz: "The issue of the IU parliamentary group isn't over"]. El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 11 August 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ Lasmarias, Pepe (27 November 2018). "Maru Díaz encabezará la candidatura de Podemos con un resultado muy ajustado" [Maru Díaz will be Podemos's lead candidate with a very tight result] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ Ortega, Javier (27 May 2019). "Elecciones autonómicas 2019: Javier Lambán gana en Aragón pero la derecha podría gobernar" [2019 autonomous elections: Javier Lambán wins in Aragon but the right could govern]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ Alonso, Jorge (6 August 2019). "Este es el nuevo Gobierno cuatripartito de Aragón, con Lambán al frente, Aliaga de vicepresidente y otros 9 consejeros" [This is Aragon's new four-party Government, with Lambán in charge, Aliaga as vice president and 9 other ministers]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ "Maru Díaz: "Pluralidad no tiene por qué ser sinónimo de inestabilidad"" [Maru Díaz: "Plurality doesn't have to be synonymous with instability"]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). EFE. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ Fuentes, Mónica (31 August 2019). "Maru Díaz destituye a un director general recién nombrado por su apoyo al independentismo catalán" [Maru Díaz dismisses a recently named director general for his support for the Catalan independence movement]. Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 March 2022.
^ "Maru Díaz (Podemos) reconoce que los resultados "no son buenos" y que es "una tendencia generalizada"" [Maru Díaz (Podemos) recognises that the results "are not good" and that it is "a general trend"]. Diario de Teruel (in Spanish). Europa Press. 29 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.