“An example of inclusion” and a “huge step forward”. Mar Galcerán, who has Down syndrome, has just been elected deputy to the Regional Assembly of Valencia. “It’s unprecedented,” the 45-year-old told the Guardian.
“Society is starting to realize that people with Down syndrome have a lot to contribute. But it’s a very long road,” said the Spaniard, who has been a member of the Conservative People’s Party (PP) since she was 18. Galcerán, however, insists that she wants to be seen as a person, not for her disability.
Éléonore Laloux, municipal councilor in Arras
Galcerán is thus propelled to the top of the handful of political figures with Down syndrome. In 2020, Éléonore Laloux became the first person affected by this genetic disease in France to be elected to public office, as a municipal councilor in the city of Arras (North).
In Spain, Galcerán’s path to politics was opened by Ángela Bachiller, who in 2013 became the first Spanish city councilor with Down syndrome in the northern city of Valladolid.
Galcerán would be the first MP with Down syndrome, according to the Spanish Down Syndrome Federation. “We haven’t heard of anyone else,” said Agustín Matía Amor, of the Down España association, before hail a “huge step forward” and an “example of inclusion”.