Macarena Olona Choclán (born 14 May 1979) is a Spanish politician and state attorney. Olona was member of the Congress of Deputies between 2019 and 2022 for Vox,[1][2] before being allegedly involved in an internal feud that led to her expulsion from the party.[3]
Macarena Olona | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Macarena Olona in April 2021 | |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 21 May 2019 – 1 July 2022 | |
| Constituency | Granada |
| Member of the Parliament of Andalusia | |
| In office 14 July 2022 – 31 July 2022 | |
| Constituency | Granada |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 May 1979 Alicante, Spain |
| Political party | Caminando Juntos (since 2023) |
| Other political affiliations | Vox (2019–2022) |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of Alicante |
Early life and career
editBorn in Alicante, Olona graduated in Laws for the University of Alicante in 2003 with extraordinary prize and entered the State Lawyers Corps in 2009.[4] Between 2013 and 2018, she was chief lawyer of the state of the Basque Country.[5] Transferred to the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales as general secretary in August 2017, the following year she collaborated in uncovering the Mercasa case that involved both the People's Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the payment of millionaire bites and cost overruns of more than 300% in foreign contracts.[6]
In the April 2019 Spanish general election, Olona was elected deputy and then re-elected in the November 2019 Spanish general election, representing in both cases the province of Granada.[7] She is known for her virulent criticism of the government of Pedro Sánchez, accusing it of "genocide" for its management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain or of wanting to impose the Venezuelan "Chavist model" in Spain. She favours establishing a government of "national salvation" involving the army.[8] She is opposed to laws on LGBT or gender violence.[9]
In 2022, Olona was appointed by Vox as the presidential candidate for the 2022 Andalusian regional election.[10] Even though the party won 2 seats and 100,000 votes, it lost 400,000 compared to the party's result in the November 2019 general election. Days after the constitution of the 12th Parliament of Andalusia on 14 July 2022, her retirement from politics "due to health issues" was announced.[11][12] In 2023, she announced the founding of a new political party, Caminando Juntos (Walking Together), which she led in the 2023 Spanish general election scheduled for 23 July.[13]
Personal life
editGranddaughter of businessman Felipe Choclán, Olona was one of the richest members of Congress.[14] On 12 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was confirmed she had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.[15]
References
edit- ^ Macarena Olona da el salto a la política con Vox tras defender al Estado durante cinco años en el País Vasco (in Spanish)
- ^ Agustín Rosety y Macarena Olona, diputados andaluces de Vox, serán portavoces parlamentarios de Defensa e Interior (in Spanish)
- ^ Prieto, Carlos (23 September 2022). ""Olona puede cargarse Vox": el verano aciago de Abascal que acabó en divorcio". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2022.
- ^ Macarena Olona, la revelación de los ultras (in Spanish)
- ^ Macarena Olona: “En el País Vasco me llamaban facha por defender la bandera y ahora vuelven a hacerlo» (in Spanish)
- ^ Vox ficha a la Abogada del Estado que cesó el Gobierno por investigar irregularidades del PSOE en Mercasa (in Spanish)
- ^ Olona Choclán, Macarena (in Spanish)
- ^ "Macarena Olona, la verdad de la tiradora de Vox: La dulce pastorcilla convertida en látigo ultra". 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Macarena Olona, la verdad de la tiradora de Vox: La dulce pastorcilla convertida en látigo ultra". 18 April 2020.
- ^ Cela, Daniel (28 April 2022). "Vox nombra a Macarena Olona candidata en Andalucía para gobernar la comunidad más poblada de España". ElDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Así se constituye el nuevo parlamento de Andalucía". Andalucía Información. 19 July 2022.
- ^ "Macarena Olona, de aspirar a la presidencia de la Junta de Andalucía a decir adiós a la política en un mes". eldiario.es. 29 July 2022.
- ^ "Macarena Olona registra un partido político para concurrir a las elecciones del 23-J". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 4 June 2023.
- ^ "Macarena Olona, la verdad de la tiradora de Vox: La dulce pastorcilla convertida en látigo ultra". 18 April 2020.
- ^ "Santiago Abascal y Macarena Olona también dan positivo en coronavirus". OK Diario. 12 March 2020.