Minister of the Interior, Government of Catalonia (Spain)

Joan Ignasi Elena was born in Barcelona in 1968. He is a lawyer specialised in administrative and environmental law and collective bargaining. He was mayor of Vilanova i la Geltrú from 2005 to 2011, a member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the PSC from 2012 to 2014, and founder of Avancem.
In 2016, he was elected coordinator of the National Pact for the Referendum, an initiative in favor of a self-determination referendum in Catalonia. He served as a spokesperson for the legal defenses of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya during the trial against political prisoners. Since May 2021, he has been Minister of Home Affairs of the Government of Catalonia.