Adolfo Suárez
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| Don Adolfo Suárez González Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain |
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 Adolfo Suárez at a poster of the Spanish political party Union of the Democratic Centre |
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73rd President of the Government of Spain
3rd of the Democratic Transition (1975-1977) 1st of Democratic Spain (since 1977) |
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| In office July 3, 1976 – February 25, 1981 |
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| Vice President | Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado |
| Preceded by | Fernando de Santiago y Díaz |
| Succeeded by | Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo |
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General Secretary of the Movement
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| In office December 11, 1975 – July 3, 1976 |
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| President | Carlos Arias Navarro (1975-1976) Fernando de Santiago y Díaz (1976) |
| Preceded by | José Solís Ruiz |
| Succeeded by | Post abolished |
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| Born | September 25, 1932 Madrid, Spain |
| Nationality | Spain |
| Political party | UCD (1977-1981) CDS (1981-1991) |
| Spouse | Amparo Illana Elórtegui († 2001) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Don Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain (Spanish: Don Adolfo Suárez González, I Duque de Suárez, Grande de España) (born September 25, 1932) was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and a key figure in the country's transition to democracy.
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[edit] Life
Suárez studied Law at the Salamanca University in Salamanca and held several government posts during the late Francoist regime.
He became the Minister Secretary General of the National Movement (Movimiento Nacional), that acted as the single party, for 18 years and following the death of Franco in late 1975. For this reason, centrist and leftist supporters opposed his appointment as President of the Government by King Juan Carlos in July 1976. Suárez, as a nationalist, was chosen by the monarch to lead the country towards a democratic, parliamentary monarchy without annoying the powerful conservative factions (especially the military) in the country. Surprising many observers and political opponents, Suárez introduced Political Reform in 1976 as a first, decisive step in the Transition (La Transición) to democracy.
In 1977, he led the Democratic Center Union (Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD) to victory in Spain's first free elections in 41 years, and became the first democratically elected prime minister after the Franco regime.
His centrist government instituted democratic reforms, and his coalition won again the 1979 elections under the new constitution. Less successful as a day-to-day organizer than as a crisis manager, he resigned as premier in 1981.[1] In 1982 he founded Democratic and Social Center (Centro Democrático y Social, CDS) party, which never achieved the success of UCD. He retired from active politics in 1991, for political party and family reasons.
Suárez won the "Príncipe de Asturias a la Concordia" award in September 1996, in recognition of his important personal contribution to Spanish democracy. The King of Spain made him Duke of Suárez in 1981. On June 8, 2007 on the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first democratic elections, King Juan Carlos I named Suárez as Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece for his important role during the Spanish transition to democracy. .[2]
[edit] Family
Both his wife, Amparo Illana Elórtegui, and elder daughter, Marian Suárez Illana, suffered and died from cancer (in 2001 and 2004, respectively). Another daughter, Sonsoles Suárez Illana, became a TV news anchor for Antena 3. Son Adolfo Suárez Illana was chosen by José María Aznar as the People's Party (PP) candidate for the post of president of the Autonomous Community of Castilla-La Mancha, but lost against incumbent José Bono Martínez, of the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE).[citation needed] Suárez has two more siblings, Laura and Javier.
[edit] Illness
On May 31, 2005, his son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, announced on Spanish television that his father was suffering from Alzheimer's disease (or a similar illness), which meant that he could no longer remember his period as prime minister of Spain. The announcement followed speculation about Suárez's health in the Spanish media.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ Preston, Paul, "Juan Carlos: Steering Spain from Dictatorship to Democracy", page 457. Harper Perennial, 2005. ISBN-10: 0006386938
- ^ [1] BOE 07-06-09, Spanish official journal, accessed June 9, 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Fernando de Santiago y Díaz (acting) |
President of the Government of Spain 1976–1981 |
Succeeded by Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo |
| Spanish nobility | ||
| Preceded by New Creation |
Duke of Suárez 1981–present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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