1. Mariano Rajoy became Leader of the People's Party in 2004 and prime minister in 2011 following the People's Party landslide victory in that year's general election, becoming the sixth president of the Spanish Government since the restoration of democracy.
The party lost its majority in the 2015 general election, but after that election ended in deadlock, a second election in 2016 enabled Rajoy to be reelected prime minister as head of a minority government.
Mariano Rajoy was a minister under the Jose Maria Aznar administration, occupying different leading roles in different ministries between 1996 and 2003, and he was the deputy prime minister between 2000 and 2003.
Mariano Rajoy was the Leader of the Opposition between 2004 and 2011 under Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government.
Mariano Rajoy was finally appointed prime minister with the support of the Citizens party and the abstention of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party.
At 14 years and 146 days, Mariano Rajoy was the longest-serving Spanish politician in the Government of Spain since the Spanish transition to democracy, having held ministerial offices continuously from 1996 to 2004 and from 2011 to 2018.
Mariano Rajoy is the son of Olga Brey Lopez and Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, a jurist, and president of the Provincial Court of Pontevedra, the city where he grew up.
Mariano Rajoy was duly enrolled, together with his brothers Luis and Enrique, and spent ten years there before moving to the Jesuit school in Vigo.
Mariano Rajoy graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela and passed the competitive examination required in Spain to enter into the civil service, becoming the youngest-ever property registrar.
Mariano Rajoy was assigned to Padron, Villafranca del Bierzo and Santa Pola, a position he still holds.
In that year, Mariano Rajoy sustained facial injuries in a traffic accident.
Mariano Rajoy married Elvira "Viri" Fernandez Balboa on 28 December 1996, on La Toja Island.
On 11 June 1983, Mariano Rajoy was elected President of the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra, a position he held until 10 December 1986.
Mariano Rajoy occupied this latter position until the end of September 1987.
When in 1989 the AP merged with other parties to form the People's Party, with Manuel Fraga as its president, Mariano Rajoy was named a member of its National Executive Committee and delegate for Pontevedra.
Mariano Rajoy was re-elected in Pontevedra in the election on 6 June 1993.
Mariano Rajoy changed his portfolio on 20 January 1999 and replaced Esperanza Aguirre as Minister of Education and Culture.
On 28 April 2000, Mariano Rajoy was appointed Senior Vice President of Government and Minister of the Presidency.
Mariano Rajoy was elected Secretary General of the party the following day, and led the party into the 2004 elections.
However, Mariano Rajoy was not held responsible for the defeat, and was elected party president at the PP's 14th congress in October 2004.
On 1 December 2005, Mariano Rajoy survived a helicopter accident, along with Madrid Regional Government President Esperanza Aguirre; he broke a finger in the accident.
On 30 January 2008, Mariano Rajoy received the support of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy for the March 2008 general election.
The PP was defeated in the general election it gained votes and seats, and Mariano Rajoy continued to lead his party in opposition.
Mariano Rajoy slammed Spain's unemployment rate as "unbearable and unacceptable" as data showed 4,350 people per day losing their jobs in October 2011.
Mariano Rajoy promised he would shepherd Spain out of its crisis and recover the shaky confidence of international investors and reduce the government's ominously high borrowing costs.
Mariano Rajoy added that his only increased public spending would be the revaluation of pensions, beginning 1 January 2012, and that he would not create any new jobs in the public sector, except for security forces.
Mariano Rajoy stated an intention "to reduce the size of the public sector" and wanted to reform public holidays so as to avoid encouragement of popular four-day weekends.
Mariano Rajoy announced his desire to end the practice of early retirement.
Mariano Rajoy was chosen by Parliament two days later with 187 votes in favor, 149 votes against and 14 abstentions, receiving the support of the People's Party, the Forum of Asturias and the Navarrese People's Union, with Spanish Socialist Workers Party, Convergence and Union, the United Left and Union, Progress and Democracy dissenting.
Mariano Rajoy was accused of receiving a subsistence allowance despite the fact that he was living in the Moncloa Palace in Madrid.
In those messages, Mariano Rajoy expressed his support to Barcenas and asked him to keep quiet.
Mariano Rajoy stated that Barcenas was no longer a member of the PP when he, Mariano Rajoy, was appointed prime minister.
Mariano Rajoy testified in Audiencia Nacional as a witness in the framework of the investigation into the Gurtel corruption scandal, of the illegal financing of his party.
Mariano Rajoy is the first PM in Spain in service to attend a trial.
In February 2016, Mariano Rajoy was declared 'persona non grata' of Pontevedra, his adopted city, because of his cabinet's decision to extend the operating license of a controversial cellulose factory by 60 years.
Mariano Rajoy lost this motion, and was succeeded as prime minister by Sanchez.
On 5 June 2018, Mariano Rajoy announced his resignation as President of the People's Party.
On 20 June 2018, Mariano Rajoy was reinstated to his position as property registrar in Santa Pola after 29 years.
Mariano Rajoy was summoned by the courts in March 2021 to explain the "B fund" that the PP has allegedly maintained for more than 20 years.
Mariano Rajoy supported Javier Milei in 2023 Argentine general election.
Mariano Rajoy declared himself a strong supporter of allowing migrants to enter Spain, saying Spain would support those seeking asylum.
Mariano Rajoy has said that "the tradition is an art form deeply rooted in Spanish history".
In November 2013, Mariano Rajoy stated that an independent Scotland would have to reapply for membership of the European Union, causing considerable irritation to the Scottish Government and criticism that Mariano Rajoy was interfering in the internal affairs of another state.
Relations between the Spanish and Scottish governments deteriorated further when the Scottish Government alleged that Mariano Rajoy invited a senior UK official to visit Madrid allegedly to co-ordinate British and Spanish opposition to the independence movements in Scotland and Catalonia.
In 1983, as the youngest member of the Parliament of Galicia, Mariano Rajoy wrote in a piece in the Faro de Vigo titled "Human equality and models of society" the notion that "all policies seeking to achieve equality were a fallacy".