Historic Milestone: Isabel Perelló Becomes First Female President of Spain's Judicial Council and Supreme Court

Wednesday 04 September 2024 - 09:40

In a groundbreaking move, Isabel Perelló has been elected as the first woman to preside over Spain's General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) and the Supreme Court. This historic appointment marks a significant step towards gender equality in the Spanish judicial system.

The CGPJ, the highest governing body of judges in Spain, voted on Tuesday to elect Perelló as its president. She secured 16 out of 20 votes, with the remaining four votes going to Ana María Ferrer García. Both candidates are magistrates of the Supreme Court, an institution that has never been led by a woman since its inception in 1812.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez congratulated Perelló on her appointment, stating that "equality is a cornerstone of democracy" and that "today, Spain regains institutional normality." Sánchez expressed his sincere congratulations to Perelló on his social media platforms.

Who is Magistrate Isabel Perelló?

Perelló, born in 1958, is a member of the progressive association Judges and Magistrates for Democracy. She has been part of the judicial career since 1985 and has specialized in administrative law since 1991. Her distinguished career includes appointments to the High Court of Justice of Andalusia, the National Court, and the Constitutional Court.

Perelló's extensive experience and recognized trajectory made her the consensus candidate among both progressive and conservative factions, despite not initially being a frontrunner. Her election follows a historic agreement between the socialist-led government and the main opposition party, the conservative People's Party (PP), to renew the CGPJ after a five-and-a-half-year institutional deadlock that left the body in a caretaker role for over 2,000 days.