Vicente Barrera
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Vicente Barrera Simó (born 28 July 1968) is a Spanish politician of the party Vox. He was previously a bullfighter. He was vice president and Minister of Culture and Sport in the Generalitat Valenciana, in the government of Carlos Mazón, from July 2023 to July 2024.
Early life
[edit]Born in Valencia, Barrera graduated with a law degree from the University of Valencia. He then became a bullfighter. He then moved into business interests in food production, restaurants, hotels and property.[1]
Political career
[edit]Barrera was previously a supporter of the People's Party (PP). He publicly announced his switch of support to Vox before the 2018 Andalusian regional election. He said that the last straw was the PP voting against the prohibition of the Basque nationalist party EH Bildu.[2]
After the 2023 Valencian regional election, the PP formed a government with Vox. PP leader Carlos Mazón would not form a government including Vox leader Carlos Flores due to the latter's conviction for domestic abuse, so Barrera was named as vice president and Minister of Culture.[3] El Confidencial published that he was still director of seven businesses in the fields of property, wine and seafood, a conflict of interest with his office; he did not make a public speech for the first two months of his tenure.[4]
In his budget in November 2023, Barrera designated €300,000 for the Fundación del Toro de Lidia, a bullfighting organisation in Madrid; he defended the donation to a body in another autonomous community.[5] He also financed Lo Rat Penat and the Royal Academy of Valencian Culture, organisations that believe in using different norms in Valencian than in Catalan,[6] while cutting aid to organisations he deemed to promote the concept of the Catalan Countries.[7]
In July 2024, Vox's national leader Santiago Abascal ordered the regional leaders to resign from PP-led governments in a row over the other party's stance on migration. Mazón fired his Vox ministers, including Barrera, and governed in minority. Both Mazón and Barrera praised each other on a professional and personal level. Barrera said that both his appointment and dismissal were unexpected.[8]
In October 2024, Vox's leadership appointed Barrera to train members of their party.[9]
References
[edit]- ^ "Así es el Gobierno de Carlos Mazón: estos son los nuevos consellers de la Comunitat Valenciana" [This is Carlos Mazón's government: these are the new ministers of the Valencian Community] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
- ^ Maceda, Víctor (22 June 2023). "Lʼentrevista més realista a Vicente Barrera, un ultra disfressat de torero" [The most realistic interview with Vicente Barrera, an extremist disguised as a bullfighter]. El Temps (in Catalan). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "El torero Vicente Barrera será el vicepresidente de la Generalitat Valenciana y conseller de Cultura por Vox" [Bullfighter Vicente Barrera will be the vice president of the Valencian Government and minister of culture for Vox]. Público (in Spanish). 15 June 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ Bono, Ferran (16 September 2023). "Vicente Barrera rompe su silencio de dos meses al frente de Cultura en la Generalitat valenciana" [Vicente Barrera breaks his silence after two months in charge of the Ministry of Culture in the Valencian Government]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Barrera defiende la ayuda a la Fundación Toro de Lidia y avanza que trabajan en ayudas a 'bous al carrer'" [Barrera defends aid to the Fundación Toro de Lidia and states that they work to help 'bulls on the street'] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Vicente Barrera otorga centenares de miles de euros para promocionar la tauromaquia" [Vicente Barrera grants hundreds of thousands of euros to promote bullfighting]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 30 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ Vázquez, Cristina (6 November 2023). "El vicepresidente Barrera, de Vox, presume de quitar las ayudas a entidades "defensoras de los Països Catalans"" [Vice President Barrera, of Vox, intends to cut aid to bodies that are "defenders of the Catalan Countries"]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ "Barrera y Mazón se deshacen en elogios mutuos en el adiós del vicepresidente de Vox: "Es una amistad para toda la vida"" [Barrera and Mazón break up with mutual eulogies in the Vox vice president's goodbye: "It's a lifelong friendship"]. El Español (in Spanish). 16 July 2024. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
- ^ San José, Diego Aitor (26 October 2024). "Vox contrata a Barrera para formar a sus cargos tras salir del Consell" [Vox hire Barrera to form their members after he left the Government]. Levante-EMV (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 November 2024.