Raquel Romero Alonso

Raquel Romero Alonso (born 8 July 1982) is a Spanish journalist and former politician.

A member of Podemos, she led a joint list with the United Left (IU) that won two seats in the Parliament of La Rioja in the 2019 Riojan regional election. She twice cast the crucial vote against the election of Concha Andreu of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) as President of La Rioja, making the ultimatum that Podemos should hold ministries in her government. The coalition was eventually formed and she was made Minister of Participation, Human Rights and Cooperation.

In 2022, Romero was expelled from Podemos for non-payment of dues, and from the parliamentary group she had made with Henar Moreno of the IU. She did not run in the 2023 Riojan regional election.

Biography Born in Logroño in La Rioja, Romero graduated in journalism from the University of the Basque Country. She was the editor of the Rioja edition of the Basque-based newspaper El Correo. In 2007, she moved to Berlin, where she joined the overseas sector of Podemos in 2015, taking part in its first abroad convention in Paris that September. Running a joint list with the United Left, Romero was elected to the Parliament of La Rioja alongside the latter's leader, Henar Moreno; the group fell from four seats to two. Podemos national leader Iglesias was also critical of Romero, saying "you can't ask for more than your votes gave you".

Romero was expelled from Podemos on 18 March 2022 for failure to abide by a party rule requiring any part of a public salary over €2,100 per month – three times the national minimum wage – to be paid back to the party. On 28 April, the parliamentary board agreed to expel her from the Mixed Group she had set up with Moreno; the proposal had been tabled by Moreno, on the request of Podemos. Romero announced she would not run in the 2023 Riojan regional election.