Fernández de la Vega to leave Council of State for health reasons

Fernández de la Vega to leave Council of State for health

How much does it cost to seat a high-ranking official at the head of the State? The question resurfaces every time a seat changes hands, and it is once again on the table. According to information released in recent days, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega —first deputy prime minister and government spokesperson during the Rodríguez Zapatero administration— has decided to step down from her role at the Council of State to focus on her health. The published account describes a particularly delicate moment and places her brother Jesús by her side "at all times." The position is associated with a salary that has been estimated at around 140,000 euros annually within the forum.

What is the Council of State and why is it being discussed

It is the supreme advisory body to the Government. It issues opinions on matters submitted to it, many of which are mandatory steps before approving regulations. In practice, it functions as an anteroom where former presidents, former ministers, and former high-ranking officials of all political stripes land. Hence the suspicion: some see it as a retirement bonus, while others defend that such institutional knowledge has value. Fernández de la Vega presided over it between 2018 and 2022; before that, she was the second-in-command of the Executive and its most recognizable spokesperson.

An anecdote recalled by a forum user remains in the archives: her appearance to present the stress tests for Spanish banks, broadcast live, with half the country watching to see if generic provisions counted towards the European examination. She was born in Valencia and is 75 years old according to the sources consulted. Her figure carries a controversial weight that goes beyond the seat: some identify her with the Comprehensive Law Against Gender Violence and with the communication style of the Zapatero years. Her critics list grievances; her defenders, management. Neither side changes its script.

The figure that ignites the debate: 140,000 euros

The replacement of a high-ranking state official is not just a personal matter. The 140,000 euros annually attributed within the forum to the presidency of the Council of State reappear whenever institutional spending is discussed. The objection is twofold: that an advisory body concentrates salaries of such magnitude, and that the transition from active politics to these positions is seen as another revolving door rather than a technical career. The usual counterargument is no less solid: emptying these bodies of experience also has a cost.

The replacement and the versions of the departure

There are circulating versions surrounding her departure that do not tell the same story. One links the move to Carmen Alopécico's initiative to reorganize the position, which has been interpreted as an internal adjustment rather than a negotiated departure. None of this has been officially confirmed, so it should be treated as what it is: hypotheses about an ongoing transition.

---

The Council of State does not remain vacant: there is always a list for a replacement. The debate about whether such a position was necessary, however, is not resolved by a move.