Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday appointed Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo as deputy prime minister, replacing María Jesús Montero, who is stepping down to run in a regional election.
A career economist with experience in European institutions, Cuerpo, 45, is one of the highest-rated ministers in Sánchez’s cabinet in opinion surveys.
Under his watch, the Spanish economy posted growth of 2.8 percent last year, one of the fastest rates in the European Union.
Advertisement
Montero, 60, who served as first deputy prime minister since late 2023 and as finance minister since 2018, will lead the ruling Socialist Party ticket in a May 17th election in Andalusia, Spain’s most populous region.
READ MORE: Who will win Andalusia’s elections and why does it matter for Spain?
Sánchez praised her as “a fundamental pillar of this government” and called her the best politician he has ever known.
The conservative Popular Party has governed Andalusia since 2019, when it ousted the Socialists from power in what had been their historical stronghold.
Sánchez, in office since 2018, appointed Arcadi España, 51, the current secretary of state for territorial policy, to replace Montero as finance minister.
