Juanma Moreno is the president of the Junta de Andalucía since January 18, 2019, and president of the Partido Popular Andaluz since March 2, 2014. He was born in Barcelona on May 1, 1970, although his family returned to Málaga a few months later, according to the official biography published by the Junta de Andalucía.
Moreno seeks this March 17 to revalidate the Presidency of the Junta and maintain the political control that the PP-A achieved in 2022 with its first absolute majority in Andalusia. His campaign has revolved around a central idea: asking for a sufficient majority to avoid post-election negotiations with Vox.
A career built from the PP
Moreno began his political career in Nuevas Generaciones del PP. He was president of this organization in Málaga in 1993, councilor in the Málaga City Council in 1995, and national president of Nuevas Generaciones between 1997 and 2001. He later held various positions in the national leadership of the PP, including responsibilities in new technologies, municipal policy, and regional and local policy.
He was also a deputy in Congress between 2000 and 2011. In that year, he was appointed Secretary of State for Social Services and Equality, a position from which he promoted initiatives such as the National Strategy for the Eradication of Violence against Women, the General Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the National Plan for Children and Adolescents, and the National Plan for Social Inclusion.
The first non-socialist president of Andalusia
Moreno came to the Presidency of the Junta in 2019, after the 2018 elections, which ended decades of socialist governments in Andalusia. In 2022, he achieved a historic absolute majority for the PP of Andalusia, a result that completely changed the Andalusian political map.
His political profile has been built on three pillars: moderation, management, and stability. Facing Vox, he has tried to distance himself with an institutional discourse. Facing the PSOE, he has claimed the change of cycle initiated in 2019. And facing his own electorate, he has insisted that winning is not enough if a majority that guarantees governability is not achieved.
The challenge of March 17
The key number for Moreno is 55, the absolute majority in the Andalusian Parliament. If he achieves it, he will be able to repeat the Government alone. If he falls short, election night will open negotiations with Vox or a much more complex investiture scenario.
Moreno is playing for more than just remaining president. He is playing to confirm whether Andalusia has become a structurally favorable territory for the PP or if the absolute majority of 2022 was a high point difficult to repeat.