María Jesús Montero Cuadrado (Seville 1966) has become this Friday the second most important figure in the Government of Pedro Sánchez after being promoted by the head of the Executive to the fourth vice presidency, to which she arrived a little over a month ago, to the first to replace Nadia Calviño, who as of January 1 will preside over the European Investment Bank (EIB). Furthermore, as deputy general secretary of the PSOE, Montero is also the party’s number two.
Montero, mother of two daughters and graduate in Medicine and Surgery from the University of Seville, also has a master’s degree in Hospital Management from the EADA Business School. The daughter of teachers, Montero began her political career by presiding over the Marginalization Council of the Youth Council of Andalusia in 1986, and as its general secretary until 1990.
In 2002, after a few years focused on the health management of several hospitals, she became the Deputy Minister of Health of the Junta de Andalucía until 2004, and later as head of the Ministry until 2012. During her mandate, health rights were regulated such as the second medical opinion, access to preimplantation genetic diagnosis or dignified death.
Montero was second on the PSOE lists for the 2008 Andalusian elections, and revalidated her seat in the subsequent general elections of 2012 and 2015. During that period she became Minister of Finance and Public Administration of the Junta de Andalucía until 2018.
It was then that the new President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, chose her to be part of his cabinet, after winning the motion of censure against Mariano Rajoy. Thus, Montero replaced Cristóbal Montoro, head of the Ministry of Finance.
At the beginning of 2020, Montero was in the running for a possible economic vice presidency in the first coalition government, but finally it was the Minister of Economy, Nadia Calviño, with a more technical profile and experience in European institutions, who occupied the position. post. Montero, on the other hand, was a government spokesperson.
At the beginning of the last legislature, Montero became the possible candidate for the PSOE in the event of an early election in Andalusia, but finally the socialists turned to the former mayor of Seville, Juan Espadas. Although the Junta government is currently in the hands of Juanma Moreno, with an absolute majority of the PP, the next elections are held in 2026, and the PSOE has not yet made a statement on who the next candidate could be.
In 2022, the Minister of Finance was promoted to deputy general secretary of the PSOE, replacing Adriana Lastra, and, after the last elections, she rose one more step to become fourth vice president, while maintaining her ministry.