US embassy cable - 04MADRID1052

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 001052 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SP, PSOE - Socialist Party, Spanish Election March 2004 
SUBJECT: SPAIN:  UPDATE ON ZAPETERO'S CABINET SELECTIONS 
 
REF: MADRID 919 
 
1. (U) Summary:  Future Spanish President Jose Luis Rodriguez 
Zapatero is revealing his cabinet selections on a piecemeal 
basis as the government formation process procedes.  Thus far 
he has officially named Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega as 
First Vice President of Government and Minister of the 
Presidency, Pedro Solbes as Second Vice President and 
Minister of Economy and Finance, Jose Bono as Minister of 
Defense, Manuel Marin as PSOE's candidate for President of 
Congress (making him a virtual shoe-in), and Alfredo Perez 
Rubalcaba as PSOE,s Spokesperson in Congress.  Though widely 
expected to be Foreign Minister, Miguel Moratinos has not yet 
recieved the official nod.   Biographical information for 
these new appointees is provided as a follow up to reftel. 
End summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) The list below provides biographical information on 
those whom Zapatero has officially named to his 
administration thus far. 
 
(A) Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega:  First Vice President 
of Government and Minister of the Presidency.  Fernandez de 
la Vega is Zapatero's first female appointee.  Born in 
Valencia in 1949, Fernandez de la Vega holds a master's and 
doctoral degree in law, and was a university professor before 
becoming active in politics.  Fernandez de la Vega joined the 
now-defunct Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) in 
1974.  In 1982, she was appointed to lead the Cabinet of 
Ministers of Justice by the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party 
(PSOE).  From 1985 to 1989, she was designated as PSOE's 
Director General of Services for the Ministry of Justice. 
Fernandez de la Vega also served as Spokesperson for the 
governing council of the Institute of Women (1986), 
Spokesperson for the General Council of Judicial Powers 
(1990), and Secretary of State for Justice (1994).  When the 
Popular Party won the general elections in 1996, Fernandez de 
la Vega joined the opposition as a member of the Socialist 
parliamentary group in Congress. 
 
(B) Pedro Solbes:  Second Vice President of Government and 
Minister of the Economy.   Solbes, born in 1942 in Alicante, 
is returning to Spanish government after serving as European 
Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs since 1999. 
Solbes earned high marks for taking the EU Council of 
Ministers to task for their refusal to sanction France and 
German for exceeding the Europe Stability and Growth Pact's 
budget deficit limits.  Although he is not technically a 
member of socialist party, Solbes has served in the Spanish 
government since 1968, when he began his career a civil 
servant in the Ministry of Foreign Trade.  As Director 
General of Commercial Policy in the Ministry of Economics and 
Trade (1979-1982), Solbes played an important role in 
negotiating Spanish accession to the European Community.  He 
was Secretary General of Economy and Treasury (1982-1985), 
Secretary of State for EU relations (1985), Minister of 
 
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Agriculture, Food and Fisheries (1991-1993), and Minister of 
Economy and Treasury (1993-1996).  In 1996, Solbes became a 
member of the Spanish Parliament.  He left this position to 
become EU Commissioner in 1999. 
 
(C) Jose Bono:  Cited by Zapatero prior to the elections as 
his for Minister of Interior, Bono has now been officially 
tapped as Minister of Defense.  Bono is a key socialist 
"baron" who has spent the last twenty-one years as President 
of the regional government of Castilla-La Mancha.  He has 
stated that he will resign as President, without choosing a 
successor, once he is officially named defense minister by 
public decree in April.  Bono, a one-time challenger to 
Zapatero for the position of PSOE Secretary General in 2000, 
has recently downplayed his alleged rivalry with Zapatero. 
Zapatero, Bono stated, won PSOE's top spot as "the better 
man" and was "noble" for choosing him as defense minister. 
Bono opposes nationalist plans to break up Spain and fully 
backs Zapatero's promise to withdraw troops from Iraq absent 
UN control. 
 
(D) Manuel Marin has been named president of Congress.  See 
reftel for biographical information. 
 
(E) Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba:  PSOE Spokesperson in Congress. 
Rubalcaba, born in Solares, Santander in 1951, began his 
political career in the Madrid Socialist Forum in 1978.  A 
professor of chemistry, Rubalcaba served as an advisor on 
university affairs to the Socialist Parliamentary Group. 
After the Socialists won the national elections in 1982, 
Rubalcaba was appointed Director of Technical Cabinet of 
Secretary of State for Universities, Director General for 
 
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Higher Education (1985), and Secretary of State for Education 
(1988), and served as Minister of Education from 1992 to 
1993.  In 1993, Rubalcaba began his career in Congress.  He 
served as Minister of the Presidency of Relations with 
Parliament and Spokesperson for the Government until the PP 
won a majority in Congress in 1996.  After 1996, Rubalcaba 
served as PSOE's Secretary for Media Relations and was the 
party's chief negotiator in government talks on the 
Anti-Terrorist Pact and the Political Party Law.  Rubalcaba 
developed a close friendship with Zapatero when he supported 
his candidacy for PSOE Secretary General in 2000. 
ARGYROS