José María Aznar |
José María Aznar was born in Madrid in 1953. He earned a degree in law at Complutense University and has held the qualification of inspector of state finances since 1975.
Aznar is the president of FAES (Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis) and a distinguished scholar at Georgetown University, where he teaches various seminars on contemporary European politics for the Edmund A. Walsh School. He is a News Corporation board member and, in 2007, joined the Global Advisory Board and Advisory Board of the Latin American division of J.E. Robert Companies, as well as the International Advisory Board of the Atlantic Council of the United States.
Aznar became president of the Spanish Government (prime minister) in 1996, following the electoral success of the Partido Popular. He was re-elected following the party's success at the 2000 polls, this time obtaining an absolute majority. He held the presidency up until 2004, when he voluntarily stood down in favor of a new candidate.
Aznar led significant economic and social reforms during his tenure. Thanks to his liberalization and competition policies, budget control, rational public spending and tax cuts, almost 5 million new jobs were created in Spain. The Spanish GDP figure increased year after year at a rate of over 2 percent (3.4 percent, on average), featuring accumulated growth of 64 percent over eight years. Throughout this time, the country advanced from 78 percent to 87 percent of the E.U. average income.
One of José María Aznar's main concerns is the battle against terrorism. He favors a firm policy, rejecting any kind of political concession, as well as the idea of fostering close international cooperation among democratic countries. He supports a close relationship with the United States and the European Union's commitment to promoting greater freedom and economic reforms.