The Diplomat. Madrid
The acting president of the Government, Mariano Rajoy, is, since yesterday, the most veteran deputy of the Congress in this eleventh session that has just started. He has been part of the Congress since 1986, 30 years ago, when the third session of democracy started, and he shares that condition with Celia Villalobos, a PP colleague who was chosen again yesterday as vice-president of the Congress.
The title of the most veteran deputy has been held for many years by the socialist Alfonso Guerra, who started with the constituent session of 1977. After giving up his seat a year ago, his socialist colleague Jesús Caldera, who was there since 1982, took over.
However, the former minister renounced to be on the PSOE lists, just like the PNV deputy Emilio Olabarría, who also started that year and decided to end his parliamentary activity a few months ago.
