Spain's first female defence minister and a prominent socialist party leader, Carme Chacon has died on April 9, 2017. She was 46 and passed away on account of a heart condition she had since birth.
Chacon helped modernize Spain's armed forces when she took the helm of the Ministry of Defence in 2008, in the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
Spain's socialist party, or PSOE paid rich tributes to Chacon.
Before taking charge of the Defence Ministry, she had previously been minister of housing and a national lawmaker.
When Zapatero stepped down in 2011, she ran for PSOE's top leadership, although she eventually lost the vote to former Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba.
Between 2012 and 2016, she had been in charge of the party's international relations, before she left politics to join a law firm in Madrid.
She is survived by her husband and son.
Carme Chacon: Know More- Born: 13 March 1971, Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Died: 9 April 2017, Madrid, Spain
- Spouse: Miguel Barroso (m. 2007)
- Education: University of Barcelona, University of Manchester
