Alicia Sánchez-Camacho

Who is Alicia Sánchez-Camacho?

Alicia Sánchez-Camacho Pérez is a Spanish lawyer and politician. She has served as the President of the People's Party in Catalonia since 6 July 2008.

Sánchez-Camacho was elected as a deputy for the Province of Girona in the Catalonian parliamentary elections of 1999 and 2003. She was also elected as the Deputy for Barcelona Province in the Spanish general election of 2004. On 16 April 2008, Sánchez-Camacho was appointed by the Parliament of Catalonia to replace Daniel Sirera as one of its eight representatives in the Spanish Senate.

Following the People's Party's poor performance in Catalonia at the 2008 Spanish general election, Daniel Sirera reluctantly resigned as its regional chairman under pressure from the party's national leader, Mariano Rajoy. Sánchez-Camacho was Rajoy's chosen candidate for the regional chairmanship. She was challenged by Montserrat Nebrera, who ran on a more liberal-minded platform. Despite having the backing of the national leadership, Sánchez-Camacho polled a lower-than-expected 56% in winning the run-off election.

Ahead of the 2010 Catalonian parliamentary election, Sánchez-Camacho took the unusual step in Spanish politics of setting up the country's tolerance of high immigration as a key campaign topic.