10 Facts About Joan Lerma

Joan Lerma was a young Trotskyist and in 1973, practised entryism by joining the Young Socialists.

Joan Lerma served as employment minister in the administration of the Valencian Community from April 1978 until June 1979.

In July 1978, when the Socialist Party of the Valencian Country decided to merge with the PSOE, Joan Lerma was elected Secretary for political relations between the two groupings and a year later became Secretary General of the combined PSPV-PSOE, the regional branch of the PSOE in the Valencian Community.

Joan Lerma headed the regional PSPV-PSOE list at the 1979 General Election and was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies representing Valencia Province and was re-elected in the subsequent elections in 1982.

On 26 November 1982, Joan Lerma was appointed President of the Valencian Community after the resignation of Enrique Monsonis.

Joan Lerma announced that the priorities of his first administration would be administrative reform, political and economic recovery and health and education.

The PSOE won the subsequent elections in the Valencian Community in 1987 and 1991 and Joan Lerma was re-elected President of the Valencian Community on both occasions.

Joan Lerma blamed his defeat on the policies of the Central Government, singling out delays affecting the construction of motorways through the Valencian territory and lack of support from the Central Government in disputes with the neighbouring community of Castile-La Mancha over the Central Government's National Hydrologic Plan as reasons for his defeat.

Joan Lerma returned to the Spanish Congress in 1996 when he was elected to the Spanish Senate, office he is holding as of August 2019.

Joan Lerma served as PSOE spokesman in the Senate from 2004 to 2008.