Carles Puigdemont, Head of Separatist Catalan Parliament Background History: Born on December 29, 1962, you were a Catalonian at both birth and heart. The province of Amer is your home, a small municipality located in the province of Girona, which is in the northeastern section of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. Although you never completed college, you became a powerful figure in Spanish politics. After starting off as a journalist, you developed ties with officials in El Punt as a post editor­in­chief, Agència ​ ​ Catalana de Notícies as a former director, as well as Catalonia Today, where you also served as ​ ​ a directed. Having spent all of your life in Girona, you have accomplished a tremendous amount of scholarly work and political actions linked with the subtle transformations of Catalonia. You have helped found the Nationalist Youth of Catalonia in Girona. Even more prestigiously, you held membership in the Parliament of Catalonia. Although you were unsuccessful in the 2007 Girona elections, you succeeded in 2011 and became mayor. You represented the Convergence and Union Party, which made you the first major of Girona unassociated with the Socialists’ Party of Catalonia. In 2015, you became Chair of the Association of Municipalities for Independence, winning even more political leverage. Finally, On January 11, 2016, you became the President of Catalonia. Portfolio Powers: Overt ● Lead the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ● Select and dismiss consellers, call for meetings of the executive, and act as its chairperson ● Sign decrees and coordinate legislative agenda ● Represent the Catalan government both domestically and abroad Catarina Chávez, Real Estate Tycoon of Spain Background History: Born on July 21 1962, you were raised in an affluent neighborhood of Madrid. Your parents were active figures in the world of business and managed to amass wealth in the real estate sector. Over a span of 30 years, they founded and led Inmobiliaria Colonial ­ one of the largest real estate companies in Spain that has now expanded to 23 countries across the world. Following in the footsteps of your father, you attended the highly prestigious British School in Madrid and later, the IESE Business School at the University of Navarra. While studying at IESE, you enrolled in a study abroad program at the school’s New York campus. There, you befriended a young son of a real estate mogul by the name of Donald Trump, with whom you retain a close friendship till today. After graduating from IESE with an honors diploma in real estate finance, you began working at Inmobiliaria Colonial in a variety of management positions. Your projects focused on class­A properties in Madrid and Barcelona, as well as investment in real estate projects in Andalusia. You inherited a 51% stake in Inmobiliaria Colonial after the passing away of your parents in a tragic car accident in 1997 and began serving on the company’s board of directors. Portfolio Powers: Overt ● In your current position, you oversee Societe Fonciere Lyonnaise ­ a French real estate investment trust that your company has a 53% stake in ● As the single largest shareholder in Inmobiliaria Colonial ­ a company with market capitalization of $1.9 billion, you hold a major sway over the company’s direction and investments Carlos Zúñinga, Co­owner of Circuitos Taurinos Born and raised in the city of Gijon, you have a deep passion for the centuries­long Spanish ​ tradition of bullfighting. At an age of 13, you successfully participated in your first bullfight and have been an active participant ever since. Under the influence of your mother, who worked as a university professor for over three decades, you attended University of Oviedo and graduated with a dual degree in Nuclear Engineering and Agricultural Sciences and multiple awards for excellence in engineering. During your undergraduate years, you continued your engagement in bullfighting and established Circuitos Taurinos ­ a marketing company organizing bullfighting festivals. Over the course of a decade, the company grew to become one of the most successful ones in the bullfighting industry, spreading across Spain and organizing festivals attended by hundreds of thousands of locals and foreign tourists. Recently, however, the bullfighting economy has come under intense pressure from animal rights activists and groups. You have lobbied alongside other bullfighting businessmen to diminish PETA efforts and those of PACMA, Spain’s leftist animal rights party. Camila Gonzalez of PACMA even went on to state in The Olive Press, Andalusia’s Spanish­English newspaper, that you are a national threat to Spain’s modern culture. Although you maintain an independent political stance in the traditional left­right spectrum, you support any authority that claims that ending bullfighting will “damage Spain’s economy further and threaten its traditional culture.” Portfolio Powers: Overt ● As the company’s founder and president, you are currently in control of a $125 million business that continuously generates a steady stream of cash flow and tourists Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, Representative to the EU’s High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Background History: You were born on July 14, 1942 in Madrid, Spain. You come from a well­known Spanish family with several high­figure connections. Your great­uncle, Salvador de Madariaga, served as Spanish League of Nations Disarmament Chief and as a diplomat. Your father, Luis Solana San Mártin, was a chemistry professor, with notable connections in the scientific community. His academic background is what inspired you to learn physics. Your older brother Luís is a distinguished leader in the Spanish telecommunications industry. However, he is also well­known for his anti­Franco political activities. You are a Spanish physicist and politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González (1982–1995) and Secretary General of NATO (1995–1999), you were appointed as the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and Secretary­General of the Western European Union. You remained in these posts for a decade until December 2009. During these years as a cabinet minister, your reputation as a discreet and diplomatic politician grew. By going to the foreign Ministry in the later years of González administration, you avoided the political scandals of corruption, and of the dirty war allegedly being fought against ETA. As such, you have negotiated numerous Treaties of Association between the European Union and various Middle Eastern and Latin American countries, including Bolivia and Colombia. You played a pivotal role in unifying the remainder of the former Yugoslavian federation. You proposed that Montenegro form a union with Serbia instead of having full independence, stating that this was done to avoid a domino effect from Kosovo and Vojvodina independence demands. Portfolio Powers: Overt ● Chief coordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy within the EU ● Organize and streamline several EU policies regarding security, including the EU’s coordinated fight against terrorism ● Your position is nicknamed “Mr. Europe,” as it is seen as the common foreign policy voice for all of Europe Inés Ayala Sender, Leader of Socialist Party Background History: You were born on March 28, 1957 in Zaragoza, Spain, by far the largest municipality with over 70% of the total electorate of the province of Aragon. After studying law in Zaragoza, you pursued a degree in sustainable development in Brussels, graduating in 1997. You are currently a Spanish politician and member of the European Parliament for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, which is affiliated to the Party of European Socialists. You were first elected to the European Parliament in 2004, and were re­elected in 2009 and in 2014. Your strong knowledge of the environment helped you land the position as a national expert in the Directorate­General for the Environment of the European Commission from 1995 to 1997. You then moved on to work as policy adviser to the Party of European Socialists (PES Group) in the Committee of the Regions­­a political group that brings together social­democrat, socialist, labor and progressive representatives from local and regional authorities across the EU. Portfolio Powers: Overt ● As a current member of the Committee on Budgetary Control, you are responsible for ​ ​ identifying undesirable developments within EU institutions and other bodies and then to elaborate constructive suggestions for improvement ● Similarly, you serve on the Committee on Transport and Tourism, which allows you ​ much influence over policies regarding European tourism, international transport, and migration Isabel Garcia­Tejerina, Minister of Agriculture, Food, and Environmental affairs Background History: You were born On October 9, 1968 in Valladolid, the administrative capital of Castile and Leon. You graduated from the Technical University of Madrid with an agricultural engineering degree and thereafter built extensive experience in the agri­food industry (including being a director at an Argentinian fertilizer manufacturing plant) and subsequently went on to pursue a career in politics. As an avid member of the People’s Party of Spain, you had served two terms as the General Secretary of Agriculture from (2000­2004 and 2012­2014). At