María Díaz Cañete, PP Deputy in the Andalusian Parliament, Dies at 40

María Díaz Cañete, a Popular Party deputy, passed away early this morning at the age of 40. The deputy, elected for the province of Seville, was undergoing cancer treatment, and her death had a profound impact on her colleagues. The President of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, expressed on his X account feeling "devastated" by the deputy's death, describing her as "an example of passion for public service and a fighter against a serious illness."

The Parliament, which was set to hold the second day of the inaugural session of the current political term this Thursday, immediately changed its plans. The spokespeople of the five parliamentary groups agreed to withdraw all scheduled initiatives from the agenda. Consequently, the plenary session convened only to confirm this decision and was then concluded.

After the session opened, spokespeople from the five groups (Adelante, Por Andalucía, Vox, PSOE, and PP) successively took the floor to announce they were withdrawing their respective initiatives and to convey their condolences to the colleagues and family of the deceased deputy. In his brief address, PP spokesperson Toni Martín remembered her as a "very young, kind-hearted, and beloved" person dedicated to her ideals and improving citizens' lives.

María Díaz Cañete was elected as a deputy for the province of Seville in the 2022 elections after a municipal career in Lora del Río City Council, where she served as councilor and first deputy mayor. She was born on February 7, 1984, and held a degree in Journalism from the University of Seville.

In Parliament, she was vice-president of the University Commission and a member of both the Tourism Commission and RTVA Control Commission. She had recently married and had no children.