Add files to Nacho Álvarez, Secretary of State for Social Rights, for the economic area of ​​​​training | General Election 23J | Spain

Nacho Álvarez, secretary of state for social rights in Ione Belarra’s ministry and economic director of Podemos, joins Sumar’s team. Professor of Economics at the Autonomous University of Madrid, Álvarez will be the economic spokesperson for the new project alongside Carlos Martín, who as number six on the list for Madrid will predictably occupy that position in Congress. Sumar’s sources explain that Álvarez will lead the political proposal of training in “social, economic and welfare policies”. The Secretary of State will be part of the coalition electoral team led by Yolanda Díaz, made up of around 15 people and charged with coordinating strategy for the general elections on July 23 under the direction of Josep Vendrell, head of cabinet of the second vice president of the government .

From the training they underline that Nacho Álvarez is a “reference” economist in Spain and his incorporation “will strengthen Sumar’s commitment to continue to expand social rights, carry out a great fiscal revolution in our country and bet on an economic policy that generates quality jobs”. In an act together with other Latin American labor ministers held early Monday morning, Díaz celebrated the signing: “We are feeding the Sumar team with high-level professionals and I think Spain understands it as well. Of course we are prepared for this campaign,” he informs Emilio Sanchez Hidalgo.

His work has been fundamental in completing each of the agreements of the coalition, very active in building the social shield during the pandemic and with proposals such as the gas price limit (finally converted into the so-called Iberian exception). You have been at the forefront of all the negotiations with the PSOE for the budgets and also for the decrees against the crisis in Ukraine. Over the past two years, she has done this by coordinating with the Vice President’s team, with whom she has always maintained a fluid relationship. In fact, Álvarez accompanied the Secretary of State for Labour, Joaquín Pérez Rey, in the debate with the European Commission on labor reform.

The economist, who in addition to being a professor at the Autonomous University is a research associate at the Complutense Institute for International Studies, has also been part of the Podemos executive as Secretary of the Economy since 2014, is the main promoter of the party’s provisions in this matter and will continue to have his responsibility within the management of Belarra, according to sources from his environment. The organization is integrated into Sumar and as such the goal is to place all training assets at the service of the new coalition.

As Secretary of State for Social Rights, he played a very active role in the ministry, both in the drafting of laws on the subject -as is the case of the recently approved family law- and in the negotiation of the dependency accreditation agreement, which has established a common framework with the minimum requirements that the services must meet, including residences, which his department seeks to convert into smaller centres, with a modification of the care model, so that it is personalized and takes into account the needs of each user. Under the orders first of Pablo Iglesias and then of Ione Belarra, he worked to reverse the cuts in the addiction system of the last decade.

Left-wing economist, staunch defender of the public sector, those who know him describe him as a rigorous and serious technician, good-natured and always willing to listen. Far from big headlines and public dispute, Álvarez has characterized this legislature by his discretion and has avoided at all times taking a public position in the struggle between the formations for the reconfiguration of the space after the abandonment of the institutional policy of Pablo Iglesias in May of 2021. When the confrontation between the then general secretary and Íñigo Errejón took place in 2017, he tried to force a consensus between the two sides by proposing a third way together with Carolina Bescansa. In the end she gave up running for primaries in the second city assembly of Podemos (Vistalegre II), but the party leader then regained her leadership.