Ábalos was born in Torrent, Valencia in 1959.[1] He is the son of bullfighter Heliodoro Ábalos "Carbonerito" and the grandson of a Civil Guard officer, Julián Meco, who died in active service because of a pneumonia during the Revolution of 1934.[2]
Ábalos worked as a primary school teacher. Within the PSOE, he served as Secretary-General of the PSOE for the Valencia City North region (based around the district of Orriols) from 1988 to 1995 before he became PSOE Secretary-General for Valencia city in the latter year. He also stood as a candidate for Secretary-General of the PSOE in the Valencian Community in 2001 and 2008, but was unsuccessful on both occasions.
He was a member of Valencia City Council from 1999 to 2009[4][5] while also being a member of the Provincial Deputation of Valencia for the 2003–2007 period.[4] For the Spanish General Election of 2008, he was selected as a candidate for the PSOE, being placed eighth on the list for Valencia Province.[6] With the PSOE (as in 2004) winning seven seats, Ábalos initially failed to be elected to the Spanish Congress, but in April 2009 he joined the Congress as a substitute for Inmaculada Rodríguez-Piñero, who had been appointed Secretary-General for Infraestructures within the Ministry of Public Works.[7]
In June 2018, prime minister Pedro Sánchez appointed Ábalos as Minister of Development.[10] Ábalos, along with ministers Robles and Batet were the only ministers in the first Cabinet of Pedro Sánchez who were also members of parliament. To avoid overlaps in their agendas, they resigned to its seats at the Congress of Deputies.[11]
The Prime Minister called for snap elections twice in 2019, winning the PSOE both of them. In both elections, Ábalos ran for election, being elected MP for the Valencian constituency.
After the November election, PSOE reached a deal with Unidas Podemos to form a coalition government presided by Sánchez, and Ábalos was confirmed on its position as Minister, although the portfolio was renamed as Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.[12]
In July 2021, he was replaced by Raquel Sánchez Jiménez as minister of Transport. He also resigned as Secretary of Organization of PSOE. In September 2021 he became the president of the Interior Commission of Congress, and continued in this role after his re-election in the July 2023 election.
On 20 February 2024, Ábalos' former advisor Koldo García Izaguirre and his wife were arrested by Central Operative Unit officers on suspicion of illegally taking commission on sales of masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.[14] Facing overwhelming calls to resign, Koldo García quit as president of the Interior Commission, but refused to resign as a member of Congress, instead forming part of the Grupo Mixto, representatives who lack the support of a political party.[15] Seven days later, the PSOE suspended Ábalos' membership, which the latter condemned as he had not yet been indicted.[16]
On 23 October, the Audiencia Nacional asked the Supreme Court to investigate Ábalos for his role in the Koldo Case.[17] On 7 November 2024, the Supreme Court opened a case against Ábalos on suspicion of corruption, embezzlement, influence peddling and organised crime.[18]
Positions held
Secretary General of the Socialist Party of Valencia PSPV-PSOE (1995–2000)
President of the National Committee of the PSPV-PSOE (1997–1999)
Councilor of the City Hall of Valencia (1999–2009)
Vicesecretary General of PSPV-PSOE (2000–2004)
Member of the County Council of Valencia (2003–2007)
Member of the Congress of Deputies representing the Constituency of Valencia (2009–2018; 2019–)
Secretary General of PSPV in the province of Valencia (2012–2017)
Acting Spokesperson of the Socialist Party at the Spanish Congress of Deputies (2017)
Organizational Secretary of PSOE (2017–2021)
Minister of Development (2018–2020); Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (2020–2021)
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