Nuria Gorrite (born 6 July 1970) is a Swiss-Spanish politician and museum curator. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, she was the first woman to be elected President of the Council of State of Vaud.

Nuria Gorrite
Gorrite in 2016
Member of the Council of State of Vaud
Assumed office
1 July 2012
President of the Council of State of Vaud
In office
1 July 2017 – 30 June 2022
Preceded byPierre-Yves Maillard
Succeeded byChristelle Luisier
Mayor of Morges
In office
April 2008 – June 2012
Preceded byÉric Voruz
Succeeded byVincent Jacques
Member of the Grand Council of Vaud
In office
April 2007 – June 2012
Personal details
Born6 July 1970
La Chaux-de-Fonds, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
NationalitySpanish
Swiss
Political partySocial Democrat
Domestic partnerOlivier Feller
Children1
EducationUniversity of Lausanne
Occupationpolitician, museum curator

Early life and education

edit

Gorrite was born on 6 July 1970 in La Chaux-de-Fonds to Spanish Basque-Catalan parents who worked as trade unionists.[1] In 1975, her family moved to Morges. Gorrite became a naturalized citizen of Switzerland when she was nineteen.

She studied art history, French, and Spanish at the University of Lausanne from 1992 to 1996.[2]

Career

edit

After finishing her studies, Gorrite was employed as curator of the Musée Alexis Forel in Morges.

In 1987, she became involved with Amnesty International.

Politics

edit

Gorrite joined the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland in 1993 and was elected to her municipal council that same year.

In 2007, she was elected to sit in the Grand Council of Vaud. In 2008, she was elected as mayor of Morges, succeeding Éric Voruz.[3] She served in both of these capacities until 2012.

On 1 April 2012, Gorrite was elected to the Council of State of Vaud, where she chaired the departments of infrastructure and human resources.[4] She was re-elected in 2017 and was appointed president of the council, succeeding Pierre-Yves Maillard as the first woman president.[5][6] She was sworn into office without the use of religious text.[7] She served as president until 2022, when she was succeeded by Christelle Luisier.

On 28 September 2023, she announced that she was diagnosed with cancer and was taking a hiatus from her political office in order to receive treatment, with plans to return in 2024.[8][9]

Personal life

edit

Gorrite is a dual citizen of Spain and Switzerland.[1]

Gorrite is in a relationship with national councillor Olivier Feller, with whom she has a daughter.[10][11]

She confirmed in 2024 that she has breast cancer.[12]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "La Valdo-Espagnole Nuria Gorrite critique le référendum catalan". rts.ch. September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "L'uniscope 632 - Avril 2018 by Université de Lausanne - Issuu". issuu.com. June 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Nuria Gorrite ferait une magistrate rose atypique". 24 heures. January 10, 2012.
  4. ^ "Canton de Vaud: Résultat officiel votation / élection". Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  5. ^ "12h45 - VD / Nuria Gorrite, première femme à présider le Conseil d'Etat: les précisions de Laurent Dufour, à Lausanne - Play RTS". Archived from the original on 2024-05-11. Retrieved 2024-05-09 – via www.rts.ch.
  6. ^ "Paris Match Suisse - Nuria Gorrite | Paris Match Suisse". March 8, 2018. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  7. ^ "[VIDEO] Le Canton jure dans ses habits d'apparat". 24 heures. June 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 28, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  8. ^ "Organisation du Conseil d'Etat: absence de Nuria Gorrite pour une opération médicale | État de Vaud". Site officiel du Canton de Vaud. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  9. ^ "Nuria Gorrite va être opérée d'un cancer du sein - Le Temps". September 28, 2023. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024 – via www.letemps.ch.
  10. ^ "S'aimer tout en militant séparément". 20 minutes. March 19, 2012. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  11. ^ "Politiciens en couple, et alors?". 24 heures. May 30, 2017. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  12. ^ "Retour aux affaires – «Être confrontée à ma propre mort m'a renforcée»". 24 heures. January 3, 2024. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2024.