Esperanza Aguirre
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Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma (b. March 3, 1952, Madrid), Spanish politician, is the President of the autonomous community of Madrid since 2003.
Aguirre graduated in Law at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid in 1974. In 1975, she became a public servant at the Tourism section. Later she grew in responsibility in the Ministry of Culture.
She was a city councillor in Madrid in the 1983-1995 terms, initially for the Partido Liberal and from 1986 for the People's Party.
In the 6th term (1996-2000), she was minister of Education for the governments of José María Aznar. By 1999, she was replaced with Mariano Rajoy in order to run for a Senate seat.
Until her resignation in 2002 to face elections to the Parliament of Madrid, she was the first female President of the Spanish Senate (although it is possible to be deputy of a regional legislature and senator, it is forbidden to be member of a regional government and senator).
Within the Party, she has favored relatively liberal positions.
On December 1, 2005 she survived a helicopter crash in Mostoles, near Madrid alongside the leader of the Opposition, Mariano Rajoy.
