Tributes to the man who led Spain to democracy

10 June 2005

MADRID – Politicians, journalists and King Juan Carlos have paid tribute to the leader who struggled to make Spanish democracy a reality after the death of the dictator Franco.

Earlier this month, the family of Adolfo Suarez said he cannot remember the historical role he played in the unsettling period which is now known as ‘the transition’ because he has Alzheimer’s. Suarez was Spain’s first post-Franco prime minister from 1976 until 1981.

On Thursday, the radio programme ‘Protagonistas’ (the Protagonists) was devoted to the 72-year-old.

The king made an emotional tribute to Suarez, praising “the integrating spirit which always inspired his actions” and the will which allowed Suarez to win national consensus for founding a democratic state.

Spanish president Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also contributed to the tributes, saying Suarez was part of a “generation of brave people” who fought for “freedom and honesty”.

Former president Jose Maria Aznar and Felipe Gonzalez also took part in the tribute at the Circulo de Bellas Artes in Madrid.

[Copyright EFE with Expatica]

Subject: Spanish news