Enrique Santiago

Born on 18 July 1964 in Madrid,[1] he affiliated to the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) in 1980.[2] He earned a Licentiate degree in Law at the Complutense University of Madrid.[2] A member of United Left (IU) since its beginnings as political alliance in 1986, he was the leader of the Communist Youth Union of Spain from 1991 to 1993.[2] He has also chaired the Spanish Commission for Refugees (CEAR).[2]

He has worker as lawyer, specialised in human rights and cases of trans-national justice, and took a role as IU representative in the public prosecution against Argentine an Chilean regimes, later filing a detention request against Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet.[2] He also worked as lawyer for the family of José Couso, cameraman killed in Baghdad in 2003 by US fire, participating in the particular accusation that presented a criminal inquiry before the Audiencia Nacional accusing the US military personnel deemed responsible for the Couso's death.[3]

The Central Committee of the PCE elected Santiago as the new Secretary-General of the party on 8 April 2018, replacing José Luis Centella.[4]

He was IU's final choice to lead the party for the 2019 Congress of Deputies election in the constituency of Madrid (IU leader Alberto Garzón opted to stand as candidate in Málaga), integrating 3rd in the list of the Unidas Podemos coalition.[5] He was elected and became a member of the 13th term of the Lower House.