Xavier García Albiol

Xavier García Albiol (born 8 December 1967) is a Spanish politician and member of the People's Party. He has been the president of the Badalona branch of his party since 1990, and he was the mayor of Badalona between 2011 and 2015, and again from 2020 to 2021. He was reelected mayor by an absolute margin in 2023.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is García and the second or maternal family name is Albiol.
The Illustrious
Xavier García Albiol
MP
Mayor of Badalona
Assumed office
17 June 2023
Preceded byAïda Llauradó (acting)
Succeeded byRubén Guijarro
In office
12 May 2020 – 8 November 2021
Preceded byJordi Serra Isern
Succeeded byDolors Sabater
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
In office
11 June 2011 – 13 June 2015
ConstituencyBarcelona
Spanish Senator
for designation of the Parliament of Catalonia
In office
13 January 2016 – 3 May 2018
In office
26 October 2015 – 31 January 2019
Personal details
Born (1967-12-08) 8 December 1967
Badalona, Spain
Political partyPeople's Party of Catalonia
Signature

Biography

Born as the son of an egetano (constituent of Vélez-Blanco) street sweeper driver and a Catalan hairdresser, Albiol grew up in Morera, on the outskirts of the city of Badalona, and studied at the Colegio Badalonés. Later, thanks to his height of 2.01 metres (6 ft 7 in), he played basketball with the team Joventut Badalona.[1][2] He began studying law, but in 1989 abandoned his studies for a career in politics.

In 1990, he became president of the People's Party of Badalona. In 1991, Albiol was sworn into his first public office, as a councilor in Badalona.

Politics

He has been the president of the People's Party of Badalona twice: first from 1990 to 1996, and then from 2001 to the present. Between 1995 and 2000, he was the Secretary General of the People's Party. Between 2000 and 2003, he was vice-Secretary General of the People's Party of Catalonia (PPC). Between 2003 and 2005, he was Secretary of Municipal Policy of the PPC, and between 2005 and 2008 he was vice-secretary of the PPC organization. He then directed the PPC campaign during the 2008 Spanish general election.

In regards to local administrative (Spanish: supramunicipal) positions, he was deputy speaker of the People's Party in the Comarcal Council of Barcelonés between 1991 and 1995, and, later, between 1995 and 1999 he became the speaker. During this time he also served as advisor to the Mancomunidad of Municipalities of the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona. Afterwards, between 1999 and 2003, he was speaker for his party in the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona. He is currently a member of the executive committee of the PPC and president of his party in the Diputación Provincial.

Mayor of Badalona

On 6 June 2011, Albiol was elected Mayor of Badalona by simple majority.

In 2010, rival party Initiative for Catalonia Greens brought a case against Albiol before the Public Prosecutor's Office of Barcelona, charging him with violating article 510 of the Spanish Penal Code following his publication of a pamphlet they alleged to be xenophobic because it linked immigration of Romani people from Romania to increased crime.[3] On 11 December 2013, he was acquitted of all charges by the Audiencia Provincial de Barcelona.[4]

On 23 January 2013, Albiol, with the support of the city's supermarkets, launched a campaign titled "A Badalona no es llença el menjar" (In Badalona, we don't waste food) which sought to reduce the price of food nearing its expiration date by 50%.[5]

Despite receiving the most votes at 35%, Albiol's list lost the 2015 Badalona municipal election. The People's Party obtained the highest number of city councilors (11, out of 27), but 15 councilors of other parties united their investiture votes to invest runner-up Dolors Sabater instead. Responding to the news, Albiol was quoted by El Mundo as saying "Esta ciudad está indignada al ver lo que se ha hecho hoy. Por primera vez, en esta ciudad hay una alcaldesa que no es de la fuerza más votada." (This city is outraged at what happened today. For the first time in the history of this city there is a mayor who received a minority of votes.)[6]

In April 2020, Socialist mayor Àlex Pastor resigned after being arrested for assaulting a member of the Mossos d'Esquadra. Albiol became mayor for the second time, as the Socialists and left-wing separatists could not agree to a power-sharing pact.[7]

In addition to his role in parliament, Albiol has been serving as member of the Spanish delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe since 2016. He is currently a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights; the Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe (Monitoring Committee); and the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons.

In October 2021, Albiol's name appeared on the Pandora Papers linked to an offshore venture in Belize,[8] leading the opposition groups in the city council to announce a vote of no confidence against him, which was passed on November 8, 2021, and resulted in Rubén Guijarro of the Socialist Party of Catalonia replacing Albiol as mayor.[9]

In the 2023 municipal elections, the Popular Party won a plurality of the vote and 18 of the 27 town councillors.[10] García Albiol was sworn in for the third time on June 18, 2023.[11]

References
  1. Guerra, Andrés (29 July 2015). "Padre de mellizos y con velero, así es Xavier García Albiol, el nuevo líder del PP catalán" [Father of twins and sailor, profile of Xavier García Albiol, the new leader of the Catalan PP]. El Confidencial (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  2. López, Carmen (3 August 2015). "Las raíces almerienses de Xavier García Albiol, candidato a presidente de la Generalitat" [The Almerian roots of Xavier García Albiol, candidate for president of the Generalitat]. La Opinión de Almería (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  3. Rios, Pere (9 April 2010). "La fiscalía abre diligencias por el panfleto xenófobo de Badalona" [The prosecution begins proceedings concerning the Badalona xenophobic pamphlet]. El Pais (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  4. "Confirman la absolución del alcalde de Badalona por vincular en panfletos delincuencia y gitanos rumanos" [Mayor of Badalona acquitted for pamphlets linking Romanian Romani and delinquency]. Europa Press (in European Spanish). 25 July 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  5. "L'alcalde de Badalona presenta la campanya A Badalona no es llença el menjar a l'hipermercat Carrefour de Montigalà". Ajuntament de Badalona (in Catalan). 23 January 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  6. Ribalaygue, Jordi (13 June 2015). "Sabater, nueva alcaldesa de Badalona en medio de la crispación" [Sabater chosen as new mayor of Badalona amid tension]. El Mundo (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  7. "Xavier García Albiol se convierte en el nuevo alcalde de Badalona" [Xavier García Albiol becomes new mayor of Badalona] (in Spanish). Barcelona al Día. 12 May 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  8. Gil, Joaquín (14 October 2021). "García Albiol compartió sociedad en Belice con su 'número dos' en el PP de Badalona". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  9. "Rubén Guijarro (PSC), nuevo alcalde de Badalona: "Alejaremos la ciudad de la corrupción y la mentira"". 20 minutos (in Spanish). 8 November 2021. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  10. resultados.locales2023.es https://resultados.locales2023.es/esresultados/0/0/90. Retrieved 2023-10-10. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  11. Barandela, Diego Larrouy, Marta (2023-06-17). "Albiol regresa a la alcaldía de Badalona por tercera vez y con mayoría absoluta del PP". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-10-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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