Adolfo Suarez

Adolfo Suárez was born on September 25, 1932 in Cebreros, a small rural town of Ávila Province, Castile and León in Spain. He studied Law at the University of Salamanca and obtained his doctorate at the Complutense University of Madrid. He joined the Francoist regime's official party, the National Movement, in 1958 and held various positions in the administration. He was appointed civil governor of Segovia in 1968 and director general of Radio and Television in 1969. He became a close collaborator of Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, who was the president of the Cortes (parliament) and later the president of the Council of the Realm. In 1975, he was appointed secretary general of the National Movement by Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro. He also founded a reformist political association within the regime, called Democratic Union of the Spanish People. After the death of Franco in 1975 and the accession of King Juan Carlos I to the throne, Suárez was chosen by Fernández-Miranda and the king to lead a democratic transition in Spain. He was appointed prime minister in July 1976 and formed a government with members of his association and other moderate sectors. He faced strong opposition from both the hard-line Francoists and the leftist parties that demanded a rupture with the regime. He managed to overcome these difficulties with skill and courage, and initiated a series of reforms that paved the way for democracy. He legalized all political parties, including the Communist Party, which was a controversial move. He called for free elections in June 1977, which were won by his newly created party, Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). He negotiated with all political forces a consensus-based constitution that was approved by referendum in December 1978. He also granted autonomy to the regions with historical nationalities, such as Catalonia and the Basque Country. He faced several challenges during his term, such as terrorism, economic crisis, social unrest and military discontent. He also had to deal with internal divisions within his party and growing competition from other parties, especially the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) led by Felipe González. In February 1981, he resigned as prime minister amid a political crisis and a failed coup attempt by some military officers. He remained as president of UCD until October 1981, when he left the party and founded a new one, Democratic and Social Centre (CDS). He ran for prime minister again in 1982, 1986 and 1989, but his party never achieved enough support to govern. He also served as president of the Liberal International from 1989 to 1992. He retired from politics in 1991 and from public life in 2003, due to Alzheimer's disease. He died on March 23, 2014 in Madrid at the age of 81. He received many honors and awards for his contribution to democracy in Spain, such as the Prince of Asturias Award for Concord in 1996 and the title of Duke of Suárez with Grandee of Spain in 1981.