FABIAN Picardo has married his long-term partner – just weeks before he is set to step down as Chief Minister of Gibraltar.
The 54-year-old tied the knot with Anna Mihaela Bocse in a private ceremony on Saturday at The Convent, the Rock’s government confirmed.
The civil ceremony was officiated by the Speaker of the Parliament, Karen Rmagge Phillips.
The wedding comes just weeks before Picardo is expected to resign as the leader of the Gibraltar Socialist Labour Party (GSLP), paving the way for a new figure to take charge of the British Overseas Territory.
The GSLP is expected to choose its new leader at its annual general meeting in December, with Gemma Arias-Vazquez, the health, care and business minister, widely tipped as the frontrunner for the job.
If she is elected party leader, Arias-Vazquez would become Gibraltar’s first-ever female leader.
Picardo has said he would advise his successor to call an election before the end of the parliamentary term, meaning Gibraltarians are likely to head to the polls in 2027.
Picardo has led Gibraltar since December 2011, overseeing a period dominated by Brexit, disputes over sovereignty and lengthy negotiations over the territory’s future relationship with the European Union.
A post-Brexit treaty was signed and provisionally implemented in July, easing the movement of people and goods across the border with Spain while safeguarding British sovereignty.
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