Edmundo Bal
{{Short description|Spanish politician (born 1967)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|image = 2021-06-13_EdmundoBalEnCibeles_(cropped).jpg
|caption = Edmundo Bal in 2021
|office1 = Member of the Congress of Deputies
|term_start1 = 21 May 2019
|term_end1 = 17 August 2023
|constituency1 = Madrid
|birth_name =
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|07|02|df=y}}
|death_date =
|death_place =
|party = Cree (since 2024)
|otherparty = Citizens (2019–2023)
|spouse =
|children =
|alma_mater = Complutense University of Madrid
}}
Edmundo Bal Francés (born 2 July 1967){{cite news |title=Edmundo Bal, el candidato de Ciudadanos en Madrid rockero y motero|trans-title=Edmundo Bal, Citizens' rocker and biker candidate in Madrid |url=https://www.ondacero.es/emisoras/comunidad-madrid/edmundo-bal-candidato-ciudadanos-madrid-rockero-motero_2021032260590ca89705b10001ed0bf9.html |access-date=28 February 2023 |publisher=Onda Cero |date=22 March 2021 |language=Spanish}} is a Spanish lawyer and politician. As a member of the State Lawyers Corps, he prosecuted La Liga footballers for tax avoidance, members of the governing People's Party for corruption (Gürtel case), and proponents of the Catalan independence movement for sedition.
A member of the Citizens party, Bal was elected to the Congress of Deputies in April 2019 for the Madrid constituency. He led the party in the 2021 Madrilenian regional election, in which they lost all 26 of their seats, and he came runner-up to Patricia Guasp in their 2023 leadership election. He was expelled from the party for criticising their decision not to contest the 2023 Spanish general election.
Education and legal career
Born in Huelva, Andalusia, Bal graduated in Law from the Complutense University of Madrid. At the age of 25 in 1993, he joined the State Lawyers Corps.{{cite news |last1=Marraco |first1=Manuel |title=Edmundo Bal: el temido, el cesado, el fichado|trans-title=Edmundo Bal: the feared one, the fired one, the signed one |url=https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2019/03/18/5c8eb02dfdddff34328b45f4.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=El Mundo |date=18 March 2019 |language=Spanish}}
As head of the State Criminal Law Department, Bal prosecuted FC Barcelona player Lionel Messi and club president Josep Bartomeu for tax avoidance. He attacked Barcelona player Gerard Piqué for linking him to the club's rivals Real Madrid;{{cite news |title=State lawyer responds to Pique: Stop presuming absurd conspiracies |url=https://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2017/03/29/58dbe0be46163f977b8b458d.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=Marca |date=29 March 2017}} Bal is in fact a fan of Atlético Madrid.{{cite news |last1=La Casa |first1=Rafa |title=Edmundo Bal: «Me parecería fenomenal que Guardiola fuera el seleccionador español»|trans-title=Edmundo Bal: "For me, it would be phenomenal if Guardiola could be manager of the Spain national team" |url=https://alacontra.es/2019/11/edmundo-bal/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=A La Contra |date=6 November 2019 |language=Spanish}} He also successfully prosecuted Cristiano Ronaldo, Ángel Di María, Radamel Falcao, Luka Modrić and José Mourinho for the same crime.{{cite news |last1=Rodero |first1=Pablo |title=Bal: el azote de los independentistas y de los futbolistas defraudadores que aspira a evitar la debacle de Cs en Madrid|trans-title=Bal: the scourge of separatists and tax-dodging footballers who wishes to avoid Cs' debacle in Madrid|url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4625346/0/bal-azote-independentistas-futbolistas-defraudadores-aspira-evitar-debacle-cs-madrid/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=20 minutos |date=19 March 2021 |language=Spanish}}{{cite news |last1=Méndez |first1=Rafael |title=Edmundo Bal, el progresista que acusó a los futbolistas y la Gürtel, cae por el 'procés'|trans-title=Edmundo Bal, the progressive who charged the footballers and the Gürtel, falls because of the 'procés' |url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2018-11-21/edmundo-bal-abogacia-estado-proces-consuelo-castro_1660846/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=El Confidencial |date=21 November 2018 |language=Spanish}} He prosecuted in the Gürtel case, in which figures in the governing People's Party were convicted of corruption.
Bal charged the organisers of the 2017 Catalan independence referendum with insurrection. He was dismissed in November 2018 after a change of government, with the new Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) administration not believing that it was an insurrection.{{cite news |last1=Marraco |first1=Manuel |title=Delgado destituye al abogado del Estado que defendió acusar por rebelión en el juicio del 'procés'|trans-title=Delgado dismisses the State Lawyer who defended insurrection charge in the 'procés' trial|url=https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2018/11/21/5bf59215268e3e21068b4592.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=El Mundo |date=21 November 2018 |language=Spanish}}
Political career
In March 2019, Bal joined the Citizens party. He was placed fourth in their list for the Madrid constituency in the April 2019 general election.{{cite news |title=Cs ficha a Edmundo Bal, abogado del Estado destituido por defender que hubo rebelión en el 'procés'|trans-title=Cs sign Edmundo Bal, State Lawyer dismissed for defending that there was an insurrection in the 'procés'|url=https://www.eleconomista.es/politica/noticias/9765842/03/19/Css-ficha-a-Edmundo-Bal-abogado-del-Estado-destituido-por-defender-que-hubo-rebelion-en-el-proces.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=El Economista |date=17 March 2019 |language=Spanish}} He initially lost his seat following the November elections, but regained it after party leader Albert Rivera retired from politics.{{cite news |last1=Montalvo |first1=Cristina |title=Los diez supervivientes de Ciudadanos |trans-title=The ten survivors of Citizens|url=https://www.niusdiario.es/nacional/politica/los-diez-diputados-supervivientes-ciudadanos-congreso_18_2849445238.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=NIUS |date=11 November 2019 |language=Spanish}}
In March 2021, Bal received 89.4% of votes in the primary to lead Citizens in the Madrid regional elections in May.{{cite news |title=Edmundo Bal gana las primarias y será el candidato de Ciudadanos a la Comunidad de Madrid|trans-title=Edmundo Bal wins the primaries and will be Citizens' candidate in the Community of Madrid |url=https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/4629053/0/edmundo-bal-gana-las-primarias-y-sera-el-candidato-de-ciudadanos-a-la-comunidad-de-madrid/ |access-date=25 March 2021 |work=20 minutos |date=22 March 2021 |language=Spanish}} The party ran a centrist campaign, competing against the far-right party Vox to be the junior partner to regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso's PP government. In the elections in May, the party's vote share fell by 16 percentage points to 3.5%, resulting in the loss of all of their 26 seats.{{cite news |last1=Esteban |first1=Paloma |title=Cs entra en 'shock' tras desaparecer de Madrid y prepara su manual de supervivencia|trans-title=Cs go into 'shock' after disappearing from Madrid and prepare their survival manual |url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/madrid/2021-05-05/ciudadanos-shock-salir-madrid-estudia-si-puede-sobrevivir_3064208/ |access-date=5 May 2021 |work=El Confidencial |date=5 May 2021 |language=Spanish}}
In January 2023, Bal ran for leader of Citizens, losing to Patricia Guasp who took 53.25% of the vote to his 39.34%.{{cite news |title=Patricia Guasp, elegida nueva líder de Ciudadanos con un 53,25% de los votos|trans-title=Patricia Guasp, elected new leader of Citizens with 53.25% of the vote|url=https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20230112/8679513/patricia-guasp-elegida-nueva-lider-ciudadanos-53-25-votos.html |access-date=28 February 2023 |work=La Vanguardia |date=12 January 2023 |language=Spanish}} He was no longer the party's national spokesperson nor was Inés Arrimadas its president, with both roles being merged to being merged and held by Guasp. He continued as the party's secondary spokesperson in Congress, behind Arrimadas.{{cite news |last1=García |first1=Amanda |title=La nueva dirección de Ciudadanos mantiene a Edmundo Bal como portavoz en el Congreso|trans-title=Citizens' new executive keeps Edmundo Bal as spokesperson in Congress|url=https://www.publico.es/politica/nueva-direccion-ciudadanos-mantiene-edmundo-bal-portavoz-congreso.html |access-date=28 February 2023 |work=Público |date=23 January 2023 |language=Spanish}} In September, he and Francisco Igea were expelled from the party for criticising its decision not to contest the 2023 leadership election.{{cite news |title=Ciudadanos expulsa a Edmundo Bal y a Francisco Igea|trans-title=Citizens expel Edmundo Bal and Francisco Igea |url=https://www.publico.es/politica/ciudadanos-expulsa-francisco-igea-edmundo-bal.html |access-date=9 April 2024 |work=Público|date=28 September 2023 |language=Spanish}}
In February 2024, he launched a new political party called Cree ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections, although he announced that he would not be leading the party's list.{{cite news |title=Cree, el nuevo partido de centro liderado por Edmundo Bal y que se presentará a las europeas |trans-title=Cree, the new centrist party led by Edmundo Bal that will contest the European elections|url=https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-cree-nuevo-partido-centro-liderado-edmundo-bal-presentara-europeas-20240229131420.html |access-date=9 September 2024 |publisher=Europa Press |date=29 February 2024 |language=Spanish}} It won 0.05% of the vote in the election.{{cite news |title=Resultados elecciones europeas 2024 en España y el resto de países|trans-title=2024 European election results in Spain and the rest of the countries|url=https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-resultados-elecciones-europeas-2024-directo-hoy-20240609195743.html |access-date=9 September 2024 |publisher=Europa Press |date=10 June 2024 |language=Spanish}}
Personal life
Bal is a drummer and a fan of AC/DC and Led Zeppelin, as well as being a Harley-Davidson rider. A regular marathon runner, he continued at a lower pace after two meniscus operations.
References
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bal, Edmundo}}
Category:Politicians from Andalusia
Category:20th-century Spanish lawyers
Category:21st-century Spanish lawyers
Category:Complutense University of Madrid alumni
Category:Citizens (Spanish political party) politicians
Category:Members of the 13th Congress of Deputies (Spain)