It began as a confession by a rising star in Spain’s conservative People’s party that her CV was not quite all it seemed. Last month Noelia Núñez, 33, a member of the PP’s steering committee, was forced to admit she had never in fact completed her double degree in law and public administration. She apologised and stood down – a move rarely seen in the country.
Since then, however, Núñez’s contrition seems to have launched a trend, with a wave of mea culpas from politicians of various parties rushing to revise – downwards – their educational achievements. Some have even resigned, emulating Núñez, who said: “I apologise to anyone who feels disappointed but I also believe it’s not enough to say sorry.”
This week Ana Millán, a senior figure in Madrid’s PP-run regional government, became the latest to admit there were errors in her official CV, downgrading a degree in political science to a diploma in public administration.
Ignacio Higuera, a member of the far-right Vox party in the Extremadura regional government, had to back down on claims he had a degree in marketing when reports emerged that the university in question had not offered the course at the time. He has resigned.
José María Ángel, a Socialist party member overseeing recovery efforts after the disastrous flooding in Valencia last October that left 220 dead, also stepped down after it was alleged he had faked a degree in order to get a civil service job.
Also in Valencia, the Socialist party had to rectify the CV of Pilar Bernabé, the government’s regional delegate, to reflect that she had never completed her degrees in Spanish linguistics and audiovisual communication.
Juan Manuel Moreno, the president of the PP-led Andalusian regional government, has been asked to explain the apparent vicissitudes of his CV, which stated in 2000 that he had a degree in business management. The qualification was modified in 2004 to “studies in business management”, before being upgraded in 2008 to a master’s in the same subject.
Pedro Rollán, the president of the senate and another member of the PP, had to remove from his CV a diploma and a master’s in marketing after a TV programme reported that the college where he studied did not issue diplomas.
One of the most sensational cases, however, predates this summer’s zeal for clarifications. Cristina Cifuentes, then the PP president of Madrid’s regional government, was accused in 2018 of claiming a master’s degree in business management from the King Juan Carlos University in Madrid without ever having attended classes or written a dissertation.
When Cifuentes produced a certificate to back up her claim, two of three people whose names appeared on it said their signatures had been forged. Her downfall was complete when CCTV footage showed her having her bag searched by a store detective after allegedly stealing two pots of face cream.
Cifuentes said the footage showed nothing more than an “involuntary mistake” but said she was resigning nonetheless to spare her colleagues and family any further embarrassment.
