Joaquín Francisco Puig Ferrer (born 4 January 1959), known as Ximo Puig (Valencian: [ˈtʃimo ˈputʃ]), is a Spanish politician who served as President of the Valencian Government from 2015 to 2023. He was also the leader of the Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV-PSOE), the Valencian regional branch of the PSOE, from 2012 to 2024.
Life and career
Puig was born in Morella, Castellón. A journalist by profession, he worked for local newspapers and for the Antena 3 radio station.[1] He was elected to the Corts Valencianes, the Valencian regional parliament, in the first democratic elections in 1983.[1] He resigned his seat in 1986, when he was appointed Director General of Institutional relations and information in the Valencian regional administration, serving until 1995.[1]
In May 1995 he became mayor of his hometown of Morella, serving until 2012, when he resigned after becoming leader of the PSPV-PSOE.[2] In the 2011 Spanish general election he was elected to the Congress of Deputies, representing Castellón Province.[1] In Congress, he served as spokesman for the committee on industry, energy and tourism.[1] In March 2014 Puig won the PSPV-PSOE primary to be the party's candidate for President of the Valencian Government in the 2015 regional elections. He received 68.8% of the votes in the primary.[3]
On 25 June 2015, he was invested President of the Valencian Government with the favourable votes of PSPV-PSOE, Podemos and Compromís, succeeding Alberto Fabra and putting an end to two decades of PP governments in the region. He was re-elected for a second term, with the support of the same parties, on 13 June 2019.
On 26 June 2023, his government lost a lucrative bid to host a Tesla Gigafactory in Valencia after their negotiations were leaked to the media while Puig denied it was him that leaked the details of the negotiations to the media.[4]
References
- ^ a b c d e (in Spanish)biography of Ximo Puig, Levante-EMV, 16 April 2015, accessed 20 May 2015
- ^ (in Spanish)El secretario general del PSPV Ximo Puig dejará la alcaldía de Morella el 30 de junio, El Mundo, 3 June 2012
- ^ (in Spanish)El triunfo en primarias blinda a Puig ante un mal resultado en las europeas, El País, 10 March 2014
- ^ John, Darryn (26 June 2023). "Tesla pulls out of Gigafactory negotiations with Valencia over leak". Drive Tesla. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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