José Blanco López

José Blanco López (born 6 February 1962), also known as Pepe Blanco, is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the deputy general of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and was the Minister of Public Works and Transport from 2009 to 2011.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Blanco and the second or maternal family name is López.

José Blanco
Minister of Public Works and Transport
In office 7 April 2009 – 21 December 2011
Prime Minister	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Preceded by	Magdalena Álvarez
Succeeded by	Ana Pastor Julián
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office 4 May 1996 – 1 July 2014
Constituency	Lugo
Personal details
Born	(1962-02-06) 6 February 1962 (age 62) Palas de Rei, Lugo, Spain
Political party	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
Spouse	Ana Mourenza (m. 1999)
Children	two

Political career

Blanco López began his political career in 1986 when he was elected to the Spanish Senate. In 1996 he was elected to the Spanish Congress as a deputy for Lugo Province and was re-elected in 2000, 2004 and 2008.^[1] He is a trustee of the Fundacion IDEAS, Spain's Socialist Party's think tank.

Blanco López was appointed Minister of Public Works and Transport in a cabinet reshuffle on 7 April 2009, replacing Magdalena Álvarez.^[2] On July 11, 2011, he was appointed spokesperson of the government without losing previous duties.

Controversy

On 28 December 2011 Spain's Supreme Court opened a probe into Blanco López's conduct on charges of influence peddling and accepting bribes.^[3] In 2013, the Spanish Supreme Court dismissed the case against him for those charges.^[4] In 2011, José Blanco received the Grand Cross of the Order of Carlos III from the new prime minister, Mariano Rajoy.^[5]

Other activities

• Enagás, Independent Member of the Board of Directors^[6]

References

1. Biography at Spanish Congress site
2. Zapatero cambia el Gobierno un año después de estrenar su segunda legislatura, El Mundo, 7-4-2009.
3. Former Spanish cabinet minister faces corruption probe
4. Vizoso, Sonia (July 18, 2013). "Supreme Court dismisses case against former Cabinet minister". El País.
5. "El nuevo Gobierno premia a Zapatero con el collar de Isabel la Católica" (in Spanish). ABC. December 30, 2011.
6. Board of Directors Archived 2022-02-28 at the Wayback Machine Enagás.

Political offices
Preceded by Magdalena Álvarez	Minister of Public Works, Transports and Housing 2009–2011	Succeeded by Ana Pastor Julián
Party political offices
Preceded by Ciprià Císcar	Secretary of Organization of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 2000–2008	Succeeded by Leire Pajín
Preceded by Alfonso Guerra	Deputy Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 2008–2012	Succeeded by Elena Valenciano