Ander Gil

Ander Gil García (born 9 February 1974) is a Spanish teacher and politician serving as the 62nd and current president of the Senate of Spain since 2021. Gil has been Senator for Burgos since 2011 and Spokesperson of the Socialist Group in the Senate from 2017 to 2021. Previously, Gil served as a local councillor for Valle de Mena from 1995 to 2011.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Gil and the second or maternal family name is García.

Ander Gil
62nd President of the Senate
In office
12 July 2021 – 16 August 2023
MonarchFelipe VI
Vice PresidentCristina Narbona
Pío García-Escudero
Preceded byPilar Llop
Succeeded byPedro Rollán
Spokesperson of the Socialist Group
in the Senate
In office
19 June 2017 – 11 July 2021
Preceded byVicente Álvarez Areces
Succeeded byEva Granados
Member of the Senate
Assumed office
13 December 2011
ConstituencyBurgos
Councillor of the Mena Valley
In office
23 June 1995 – 13 June 2011
Personal details
Born
Ander Gil García

(1974-02-09) 9 February 1974
Barakaldo, Spain
Political partyPSOE
Alma materUniversity of Burgos
OccupationTeacher and politician

Biography

Gil was born in Barakaldo, Biscay. He graduated as an elementary school teacher in the University of Burgos[1][2] and he started his political career at the age of 21, when he was elected local councillor in Valle de Mena, Burgos province. He was appointed by Mayor Armando Robredo Cerro as Councillor for Culture, Education and Youth. He also worked at Biscay in a Reception Center for Foreign Unaccompanied Minors.[2]

National politics

After more than fifteen years in local politics, Gil was appointed candidate to the Senate for the Province of Burgos for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, being elected for the first time in the 2011 general election.

He acquired greater fame after the 2016 PSOE crisis when, after supporting Pedro Sánchez, the latter rewarded him by appointed him as Spokesperson of the Socialist Group in the Senate.[3]

On 27 October 2017, Gil defended the application of Article 155 of the Constitution in Catalonia from the tribune of the Senate on behalf of the PSOE,[4] after this region held an illegal referendum and approved a disconnection law and a unilateral declaration of independence during the premiership of Mariano Rajoy (PP).

After the vote of no confidence against the government of Rajoy and the election of Pedro Sanchez as Prime Minister on 1 June 2018, the PSOE faced an absolute majority in the Senate of the PP (62 socialist senators vs 146 PP senators), which had the objective of hindering the work of the socialist government, as was demonstrated by the PP veto to increase the limit of expenditure of the General State Budget on 27 December 2018.[5] This veto prevented the use of 6 extra billion euros.

During this period of minority government, Gil led the Socialist Parliamentary Group in the Senate managing to approve 86% of their initiatives debated in the Senate.[6] Ander Gil also managed to defend the Prime Minister from the constant attacks of the People's Party, especially his demands to appear in the Senate without agreeing with the rest of the political forces and the Government itself. These PP attacks provoked an unprecedented scenario on 24 January 2019, when the PP convened an extraordinary plenary session in the Senate for the appearance of Pedro Sánchez, while he was at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos (Switzerland).[7]

In December 2018, he was named "Senator of the Year" by the Association of Parliamentary Journalists.[8]

He ran for re-election in the 2019 general election, being re-elected for the third time and becoming the most voted senator in the Province, above his direct rival, the Mayor of Burgos, Javier Lacalle, from the People's Party. This was the first time in democracy that a candidate from the left managed to be the most voted senator.

Also in this elections, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party got an absolute majority for the first time since 1993.[9] As a reward for his job during the minority government, Sánchez nominated him again to lead the Socialist Group in the Senate, a nomination that was approved by the Executive Body of the Party.[10]

In July 2021, the 61st president of the Senate, Pilar Llop, resigned after her nomination as Minister of Justice. Because of this, the majority of the chamber elected Gil as the 62nd President of the Senate of Spain on 12 July 2021.[11]

References
  1. "17 cosas que no sabías de Ander Gil". El Huffington Post (in Spanish). 7 September 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  2. "Ánder Gil, el portavoz del PSOE en Senado que comenzó como edil de un pueblo". La Vanguardia. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  3. "El burgalés Ander Gil, nuevo portavoz del PSOE en el Senado – rtvcyl.es". rtvcyl.es. 19 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  4. MARTÍN, M. CARMEN CRUZ (27 October 2017). "Independencia de Cataluña | El PSOE retira su enmienda para frenar el 155 ante la proposición de JxSí de proclamar la república catalana". RTVE.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  5. "El Senado tumba el techo de gasto del Gobierno de Pedro Sánchez". La Vanguardia. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  6. psoe.es https://www.psoe.es/senado/notas-de-prensa/el-psoe-en-el-senado-logra-aprobar-casi-9-de-cada-10-iniciativas-en-los-nueve-meses-de-gobierno-de-pedro-sanchez-a-pesar-de-la-mayoria-absoluta-del-pp/. Retrieved 22 May 2019. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  7. Santos, Pilar (24 January 2019). "Esperpento en el Senado por el 'pleno fantasma' del PP". elperiodico (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  8. "Ganadores Premios Parlamentarios 2018 | Periodistas Parlamentarios" (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  9. "Vuelco en el Senado, con mayoría absoluta del PSOE". Público. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  10. Burgos, Diario de (17 May 2019). "Ander Gil repetirá como portavoz del PSOE en el Senado". Diario de Burgos (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 May 2019.
  11. EP (12 July 2021). "Ander Gil, elegido presidente del Senado en la segunda votación". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2021.
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