Leire Pajín
24, Spanish politician
When Spain's former dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975, Leire Pajín had not yet been born. Spain has come a long way since then, but Pajín has made quite a journey of her own in even less time. Last March Pajín, a sociologist from Alicante, became Spain's youngest deputy by winning a seat in the lower house of parliament. She rejects complaints that she's too young: "If one is old enough at 18 to vote, one is old enough to take one's seat in parliament." Four months later she was elected to the Executive Committee of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, with responsibility for social affairs. Her appointment is a symbol of the party's emphasis on fresh policies and fresh faces. Pajín's political priorities include social equality for women and young people, and a peaceful solution to the Basque conflict. "For me, politics is fun," she says.
— By Jane Walker/Madrid
PHOTO: GORKA LEJARCEGUI — EL PAIS
No. 1 of 3
close window