Midsummer is usually a period when Spanish politicians flee the scorching heat of Madrid to relax on one of the country’s many beaches.
This year, however, many of them are postponing the exodus to the coast to gather in their offices and frantically revise their CVs. The mass revision of CVs was prompted by the sudden resignations of at least three politicians who were found to have lied about their academic qualifications, writes Politico.
The first to be exposed was Noelia Núñez, deputy secretary of the center-right Popular Party (PP). This rising politician was considered one of the most promising figures of Spain's main opposition party, due to her popularity among young conservatives on TikTok.
However, in July, it was revealed that, although her profile on the Spanish Parliament website stated that she had a "double degree in law and public administration," she had none. Journalists also discovered that her profile at the Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala, where Núñez taught a political science course, falsely claimed that she also had a degree in English philology.
The news of the politician's fake CV came at a delicate time for the PP. Since May last year, when Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was forced to publicly apologize for corruption within the Socialist Party, the main center-right political force presented itself as a "clean" group in which Spaniards can trust.
After meeting with the opposition leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, Núñez announced her resignation. Shortly thereafter, her party ordered its members to review their CVs to ensure that no other falsehoods would be uncovered.
Fake Diplomas
But, in less than a week, another series of fake diplomas was discovered. This time, however, they belonged to José María Ángel Batalla, a member of the Socialist Party, to whom the national government had entrusted overseeing the reconstruction efforts after last year's deadly floods in Valencia. Batalla claimed to have a degree in archival science and library science from the University of Valencia, issued in 1983 - a remarkable achievement, considering that the university did not offer this subject until 1990.
The discovery of the forgery not only led to the official's resignation but could also put him at risk of serious legal problems. Because Batalla used the fake diploma to successfully secure a position in the Spanish public service in the early 1980s, he could face criminal charges for defrauding the state for over 40 years.
The latest official to resign is Ignacio Herrero, who until Friday held the key portfolio of managing forests and lands within the regional government of Extremadura and was a member of the far-right Vox party until last summer. Like Batalla, Herrero claimed to have obtained a degree in marketing from the CEU University decades before students could obtain this title at that institution.
Why Do Politicians Want to Show They Have Studies?
Spanish politicians are not required to have university degrees to hold a seat in the country's parliament, but officials are under social pressure to boast academic titles that highlight their qualifications for public office.
This trend caters to the aspirations of older citizens who were unable to pursue higher education - only 22.5% of Spaniards had degrees in 2000 - as well as the views of younger generations, for whom university studies are taken for granted.
The increase in the number of universities in Spain over the last 20 years has facilitated access to higher education to such an extent that almost half of Spaniards aged 25 to 34 have higher education degrees today.
In the past, several politicians have faced challenges in trying to bolster their credibility. Former PP leader Pablo Casado was publicly mocked for claiming to have a postgraduate degree from Harvard, which was later revealed to be a certificate of participation in a three-day course organized by the prestigious American university in Madrid.
Meanwhile, former Socialist Health Minister Carmen Montón resigned after it was discovered that she had plagiarized in her master's thesis.
And former center-right president of the Madrid region, Cristina Cifuentes, was involved in a scandal regarding the alleged manipulation of her file at the Rey Juan Carlos University in the capital.