The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has announced that Héctor Gómez will be the new Minister of Industry and Commerce and José Manuel Miñones, of Health, replacing Reyes Maroto and Carolina Darias, respectively, who are leaving their portfolios to be candidates for the next municipal and regional elections on May 28. The first will try to win the mayoralty of Madrid and the second, with that of Las Palmas.
In an institutional statement from Moncloa announced early this morning, Sánchez thanked the work carried out over the years by Maroto and Darias at the head of their respective ministries, especially in the years of the covid pandemic.
This weekend, from the Ibero-American Summit in Santo Domingo, Pedro Sánchez described Maroto and Darias as “extraordinary ministers who have done a great job” in their respective portfolios. “It will logically be before the official call for the elections, which is on April 4,” added Sánchez, questioned when the changes will be made. The president has a very busy schedule this week, which includes a trip to China on March 30 and 31.
After the appearance in Moncloa, the President of the Government is expected to travel to the areas affected by the fire that affects the provinces of Castellón and Teruel. Sánchez will be accompanied on this visit by the President of the Generalitat, Ximo Puig, and the Government delegate in the Valencian Community, Pilar Bernabé.
With the departure of Maroto, there will only be six ministers who have been with Sánchez since he arrived at La Moncloa in 2018 after the motion of no confidence against Mariano Rajoy: Nadia Calviño, Teresa Ribera, Margarita Robles, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, María Jesús Montero and Luis Planas.
Darias came to the Executive to take charge of the Territorial Policy and Public Function portfolio in January 2020, in the first coalition government. But after the departure a year after Salvador Illa from the Ministry of Health to run for the Presidency of the Generalitat, she went on to direct that portfolio.
