News, August 2006

30 years of democracy

July 3rd. Today marks the 30th anniversary of the appointment by king Juan Carlos of Adolfo Suarez to the position of President of the government (Prime Minister). Suarez was the man who led the country from the remains of the Franco dictatorship to a Constitutional Democracy.

King Juan Carlos took the step on this day 30 years ago to appoint Suarez as a replacement for the interim President Arias Navarro. Only at the 3rd round of 'voting' (the Council of the Kingdom put up several candidates for the king's approval) was Suarez included. As General Secretary of the Movimiento (the single party of the Franco period), few saw Suarez as a man who would be able to provide more than a technocratic hand to rule, yet within weeks things were beginning to change in the coridoors of power, as the king's man of confidence moved swiftly towards a multi party system. On 8th September the law of political reform was approved by the Council of Ministers. The Constitution was approved on 6th December, 1978.

Suarez last appeared in public in 2003, supporting his son's candidature with the Partido Popular in the elections. He has Alzheimer's Disease and no longer remembers his role in Spain's history. Yet he is not forgotten!