María Guardiola Martín (born 5 December 1978)[1] is a Spanish People's Party (PP) politician serving as the President of the Autonomous Government of Extremadura since 2023.

[1] A member of the People's Party (PP), she was elected to her hometown's city hall in 2015, serving as the councillor in charge of the economy under mayor Elena Nevado.

[6] Fernando Pizarro, the three-term mayor of Plasencia – the fourth largest city in the region – ran a grassroots campaign but withdrew with a week remaining to focus on re-election, leaving Guardiola as the only candidate.

[8] Guardiola initially rejected a pact with Vox, due to their positions on gender-related violence, immigration and LGBT rights, and supported standing in a re-run election.

[11] Guardiola has been likened to Isabel Díaz Ayuso, another PP member who was relatively unknown when selected by the party as a regional candidate, and who was elected President of the Community of Madrid.

[15] In September 2022, Guardiola received attention for applauding a campaign by the Ministry of Equality led by Podemos politician Irene Montero, which aimed to create "hombres blandengues", men who would take tasks and characteristics not associated with traditional gender roles.