Carme Chacón, one of Spain's most high-profile female politicians, threw the country's capital a curveball today by announcing that she will be giving up her parliamentary seat to come teach for a year at Miami-Dade College of all places.
Chacón served as Spain's Minister of Defense from 2008 to 2011, and just last year was barely defeated in a race to become the General Secretary of Spain's Socialist Workers Party by less than two dozen votes. She's also been pegged as a possibility to one day become Spain's first female prime minister.
Chacón will teach comparative politics for the 2013-14 academic year at Miami-Dade College's Wolfson Campus, and will work with the school's Institute for Civic Engagement and Democracy. In her announcement she said she was "absolutely honored" to be joining the School's faculty.
"It is an institution that enjoys a deserved reputation not only in the United States but also in the world," she said of MDC.
While it's obviously a huge get for MDC, some in Spain are left scratching their heads. Chacón left little doubt that she would return to Spanish politics after her year abroad, and many still expect her to one day challenge for her party's top spot. Some Spanish media suspects she was impatient with her reduced role in government after losing the race for Secretary General and since her party was kicked from the ruling majority in 2011.
Of course, just as in America, people on Twitter are having a bit of a field day with the news.
Pupils of Miami Dave: pay attention to the interesting conferences of @carmechacon and if possible don't let her come back to catalonia
— Inesica Montseny (@InesikaDarko) August 29, 2013
Hey, @MDCollege, @carmechacon is an AWESOME teacher! Seriously! Keep her forever! Don't let her go! We no #tenimpressa for her to come back.
— Anem Passant ll*ll (@totesemponen) August 29, 2013
Dear Dexter Morgan,
Carme chacon will be in Miami shortly, and she follows your code.
Sincerely,
— Manuel de Barcelona (@Manuel_de_BCN) August 29, 2013
Carme Chacón, a la Universidad de Miami.
Espera dar el salto a la NBA la próxima temporada.
— SO BORED (@eleptric) August 29, 2013
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