Meritxell Batet

Meritxell Batet Lamaña (born 19 March 1973) is a Spanish politician of the Socialist Workers' Party of Catalonia (PSC), in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) federation. She is the current President of the Congress of Deputies since 2019.

Batet was born in Barcelona and studied law at the University of Barcelona. She also holds a master's degree in political science and public administration from the University of California, Berkeley. After working as a lawyer, she entered politics in 2004 when she was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia. She served as Minister of Justice in the Catalan government from 2010 to 2012, and was elected to the Congress of Deputies in 2015.

Batet is a member of the executive committee of the PSOE and has been a vocal critic of the Catalan independence movement. She was elected President of the Congress of Deputies in 2019, becoming the first woman to hold the position.

Batet is married and has two children. She is fluent in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, and Italian.

Here are some additional details about Meritxell Batet:

• She is a member of the Council of State, a consultative body to the Spanish government.
• She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prado Museum.
• She has been awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, the highest civilian award in Spain.
• She is a regular contributor to the Spanish newspaper El País.

Batet is a rising star in Spanish politics and is seen as a potential future leader of the PSOE. She is a strong advocate for women's rights and gender equality, and has spoken out against violence against women. She is also a supporter of dialogue and compromise, and has called for a peaceful resolution to the Catalan independence crisis.