The Diplomat
Alfredo Martínez Serrano, the current Chief of Protocol of His Majesty the King’s Household, is among the more than 140 diplomats who aspire to run one of the 32 Embassies that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has put out to tender.
Martínez Serrano has held his current post since November 2014, which came a few months after the proclamation as King of Spain of Felipe VI, of whom he is a person of absolute confidence. He had already been posted to the Zarzuela Protocol between 2007 and 2012, when he was assigned as “number two” to the Embassy in Cairo.
Alfredo Martínez’s possible departure would force the King to seek a new chief of Protocol, a position traditionally held by a diplomat.
Like the other applicants, Martínez has included in his application five embassies to which he can aspire for his diplomatic career, which began more than 22 years ago, and which has also taken him to countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria and El Salvador.
Reliable sources consulted by The Diplomat point out that he could have options for being appointed ambassador to Athens -one of the posts he has applied for- although this is precisely the embassy that has received the most applications -around 40- and from veteran diplomats.
In any event, his appointment, like that of most of the 32 new ambassadors, is still pending the examination and decision of the foreign minister, Arancha González Laya, on the three applications being submitted. Furthermore, if he is one of the chosen ambassadors, he is not expected to join until the summer.
