Noelia Frutos

Noelia Frutos Rubio[1] (born 27 December 1986)[2] is a Spanish politician. She has dwarfism and uses a wheelchair. A member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), she was elected to the Cortes of Castile and León in 2019, representing the Burgos constituency. She resigned due to health reasons in 2025.

Biography

Born in Burgos in Castile and León, Frutos joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in 2014, having earlier been a member of its youth wing, the Unified Socialist Youth. She worked as a web and graphic designer.[3]

Already a spokesperson for the Socialist Party of Castile and León, Frutos was named fourth on the PSOE list in the Burgos constituency for the 2019 Castilian-Leonese regional election.[4] Five members of the party were elected by the constituency, including Frutos. The Seat of the Cortes of Castile and León, despite opening in 2007, was not fully accessible to her disability. As a temporary measure before permanent adaptations, it had to be adapted with an electric lift and a ramp, and for the voting buttons and microphone to be brought closer to her.[3][5]

Frutos was once again in fourth place in the PSOE list for Burgos in the 2022 Castilian-Leonese regional election.[6] In May 2022, during a parliamentary discussion on disability, regional Vox leader and vice president of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Juan García-Gallardo said to Frutos "I'm not going to treat you condescendingly; I'm going to treat you as if you were a person like any other, not like your team does".[7] Frutos asked for an apology from the President of the Regional Government of Castile and León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco of the People's Party (PP). When it arrived, she criticised it as unsatisfactory in not condemning García-Gallardo.[8]

On 10 July 2025, Frutos resigned due to health reasons. Luis Tudanca, who led the PSOE in Castile and León at the time of her election, said "She has taught us many things. How to overcome, how to fight, how to take on the far right. She has taught us to want and to be able to, with socialist conviction and indefatigable commitment. We will carry on fighting".[9]

References

  1. ^ "Noelia Frutos Rubio" (in Spanish). Cortes of Castile and León. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  2. ^ "Currículum Vitae - Noelia Frutos" (in Spanish). Socialist Party of Castile and León. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  3. ^ a b "Noelia Frutos: "Vengo a abrir caminos"" [Noelia Frutos: "I'm coming to open paths"]. Diario de Burgos (in Spanish). 20 June 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  4. ^ Casado, Marta (10 March 2019). "El PSOE ratifica sin divergencias sus listas electorales" [PSOE confirms without changes its electoral lists]. El Correo de Burgos (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  5. ^ Ceinos, César (12 June 2019). "Adaptan las Cortes de Castilla y León para que la burgalesa Noelia Frutos acceda a su escaño" [Cortes of Castile and León adapted so that Burgos's Noelia Frutos can reach her seat] (in Spanish). Burgos Conecta. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  6. ^ Bodero, Ruth (14 January 2022). "Estas son las candidaturas por Burgos a las elecciones de Castilla y León" [These are the candidacies for Burgos in the Castile and León elections] (in Spanish). Burgos Conecta. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  7. ^ "Aluvión de críticas al vicepresidente de Castilla y León por su comentario a una diputada con discapacidad" [Flood of criticism to the vice president of Castile and León for his comment to a disabled deputy] (in Spanish). RTVE. 25 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  8. ^ "Noelia Frutos recibe el perdón de Mañueco como unas disculpas «a la remanguillé»" [Noelia Frutos receives Mañueco's apology as "phoned in"] (in Spanish). Leo Noticias. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  9. ^ "La procuradora del PSOE Noelia Frutos renuncia a su escaño en las Cortes de Castilla y León por motivos de salud" [PSOE deputy Noelia Frutos resigns her seat in the Cortes of Castile and León due to health reasons]. elDiario.es (in Spanish). EFE. 10 July 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2026.