The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, presented this Thursday the configuration of his new regional Executive, the result of the coalition agreement between PP-A and Vox. In this scheme, the until now parliamentary spokesperson for Vox, Manuel Gavira, will occupy the Second Vice-Presidency and the Ministry of Tourism, Deregulation, Justice and Local Administration.
Along with Gavira, the Government will have two other vice-presidencies. Antonio Sanz will continue as Minister of the Presidency, Health and Emergencies and will assume the First Vice-Presidency. For her part, Carolina España will repeat as head of Economy, Finance and European Funds and will also serve as spokesperson for the Executive from the Third Vice-Presidency.
Moreno detailed the structure of his cabinet in an appearance before the media held after 1:30 p.m. at the Palacio de San Telmo, in Seville, just four days after taking office again as president of the Junta for the XIII legislature. He was invested on July 2 by the Plenary of Parliament thanks to the favorable votes of PP-A and Vox, forces that had previously closed a government pact.
The head of the Andalusian Executive has chosen to keep the hard core of his previous team, incorporating only two new names, in addition to Gavira. The until now Deputy Minister of Development, Territorial Planning and Housing, Mario Muñoz-Atanet Sánchez, will now head the Ministry of Development and Mobility, while Housing is separated into a specific portfolio that will be headed by Rocío Díaz, with competencies also in Youth and Spatial Planning.
The until now general secretary of Business and Self-Employment, Adolfina Martínez Guirado, takes charge of the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment, replacing Catalina García. At the same time, Jorge Paradela expands his responsibilities by adding Universities to the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Innovation.
Likewise, a new Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Development and Public Administration is launched, which will be headed by José Antonio Nieto. Until now, he was in charge of Justice, Local Administration and Public Function, competencies that are now integrated into the department that will be assumed by the spokesperson for Vox Andalucía, Manuel Gavira.
The Executive is made up of 13 departments, with seven women and six men. María del Carmen Castillo (Education), Rocío Blanco (Employment), Ramón Fernández-Pacheco (Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development), Loles López (Social Services, Family and Equality), and Patricia del Pozo (Culture, Historical Heritage and Sport) maintain their positions.
"A GOVERNMENT WITH CAPACITY AND EXPERIENCE"
Moreno has justified his commitment to continuity, with only two new additions besides Gavira, within the Executive's structure. "It is evident that this is a Government with capacity and experience; the foundation of this Government is very solid. And proof of this is that the majority of citizens have endorsed this Government's management at the polls," he stressed.
Along these lines, he has emphasized the technical and independent profiles of Jorge Paradela and Adolfina Martínez. Of the head of Universities, Industry, Energy and Innovation, he highlighted his "brilliant" work, especially in the industrial sector, which "is now one-third of the growth of the Andalusian economy."
"As it has worked, not only have I maintained it, but we have given it new responsibilities," Moreno indicated, also highlighting Martínez's track record at the head of the General Secretariat for Business and Self-Employment.
"He had developed in the minister's team the ability to automate and respond to public aid in an automatic, agile, fast, and effective manner," he stated. He is confident that this experience will now be transferred to her new role as Minister of Sustainability and Environment.
"Environmental returns are fundamental to the economy, because behind any economic activity there must be an environmental authorization," he remarked.
Regarding the existence of three vice-presidencies, Moreno explained it as an "internal organizational reason" with the aim of achieving "greater coordination and fluidity." He also highlighted that Health is integrated into the First Vice-Presidency of Antonio Sanz.
"Normally, health is just another department; in Andalusia, it is not. Here, it is given the utmost importance, it is granted capital importance," he emphasized. On Sanz's continuity, he valued "the improvement in health management and in relations with organizations" since his arrival at the Ministry.
"Many people this week have told me, 'don't touch Antonio, things are going well'," he commented.
Regarding the departure of councilors Arturo Bernal and Catalina García, the Andalusian president has thanked them for their work and specified that "they remain in the political sphere" as regional deputies.
"They are two people who at any time can assume new responsibilities in this or other areas. Politics takes many turns," he concluded.