The president appoints Fernández Torroba as Minister of Education and Employment

The President of the Government of La Rioja, Gonzalo Capellán de Miguel, has appointed Miguel Ángel Fernández Torroba as Minister of Education and Employment through Presidential Decree 4/2026, of November 2, published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 212, of November 3, 2026. The same regulation provides that the appointment entails his dismissal as deputy minister of the department. The decree appears in section II, Authorities and Personnel, under the heading of Presidency, on page 18611, with the official reference BOR-A-20261103-II–1234.

Regulatory basis and scope of the decree

The appointment is adopted in accordance with Article 14, paragraph c), of Law 8/2003, of October 28, on the Government and Incompatibilities of its members. The text also invokes Article 36.2 of the same law to expressly state the accessory effect of the appointment: the dismissal of Miguel Ángel Fernández Torroba as Deputy Minister of Education, Universities and Vocational Training, the position he had held until this date.

The sole final provision of the decree establishes that it shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Gazette of La Rioja, that is, November 3, 2026. The document was signed in Logroño on November 2, 2026, by President Gonzalo Capellán de Miguel and consists of a single page in the electronic repository of the Government of La Rioja.

A succession opened the previous week

The move completes the handover at the head of the ministry, initiated with the dismissal of the previous holder. Presidential Decree 3/2026, of October 27, ordered the dismissal of Alberto Galiana García as Minister of Education and Employment, “thanking him for the services rendered,” according to the text published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja number 208, of October 28, 2026, page 17925, with reference BOR-A-20261028-II–1196.

Between both publications, the ministry remained without a holder appointed in the official gazette, so the decree of November 2 closes a six-day interval between the dismissal and the formal assumption of office of the new head published in the regional journal.

From deputy ministry to ministry

Miguel Ángel Fernández Torroba comes to the position from within the department’s own structure, which he led from the Deputy Ministry of Education, Universities and Vocational Training. From that position, he signed actions published in the regional gazette in the preceding weeks:

• Resolution 52/2026, of October 26, of the Vice-Ministry of Education, Universities and Vocational Training, authorizing the International University of La Rioja to implement three university master’s degrees and one undergraduate degree (Official Gazette of La Rioja number 210, of October 30, 2026, reference BOR-A-20261030-III–4079).
• Authorizations for university education published in the gazette of August 27 and 14, 2026, related to the Registry of Universities, Centers and Degrees (RUCT).
• The proposal for the appointment and dismissal of members of the Social Council of the University of La Rioja, processed in August 2026.

The framework of competencies of the ministry now being assumed is established in Decree 53/2023, of July 14, which sets the organic structure of the Ministry of Education and Employment and its functions in development of Law 3/2003, of March 3, on the Organization of the Public Sector of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. That decree assigns to the department, among other matters, competencies in employment policies and the regulation of non-university education.

The change directly affects the Riojan educational community and public employment services, at a time when the ministry is processing open procedures of relevance, such as the transfer competition for teaching staff, whose final resolution corresponds to the head of the department, and the calls for grants for the hiring of unemployed persons. With the appointment published on November 3, the ministry recovers a head with full rank and closes the transition opened after the dismissal of Alberto Galiana García.

Source: Official Gazette of La Rioja, no. 212, of November 3, 2026, section II (Authorities and Personnel), page 18611 (official reference: BOR-A-20261103-II–1234).