When Spain was still an autocratic regime, he was appointed prime minister byKing Juan Carlos in 1976. At the time of his appointment, he was not a well-known figure, making many political forces skeptical of his government. However, he oversaw the end of theFrancoist Cortes, and the legalisation of all political parties (including theCommunist Party of Spain, a particularly difficult move). He led theUnion of the Democratic Centre and won the1977 general election. In 1981, he resigned and founded the partyDemocratic and Social Centre (CDS), which was elected to the Cortes numerous times. He retired from politics in 1991 and from public life in 2003, due toAlzheimer's disease.
In 1958, Suárez became the personal secretary of Fernando Herrero Tejedor, the newly appointed civil governor of Ávila. When Tejedor was made deputy secretary-general of theMovimiento Nacional in 1961, Suárez became hischef de cabinet.[1][2][6] He gradually rose through the ranks of theMovimiento. In 1965, Suárez was appointed programme director of the state broadcasterRadio y Televisión Española (RTVE). In 1967, he was elected to theFrancoist Cortes.[6] In 1968, Suárez was promoted to civil governor and provincial head of theMovimiento inSegovia.[7] In 1969, he was made director general of RTVE. Under this capacity, he became a close friend to future kingPrince Juan Carlos.[1][6]
In March 1975, Herrero Tejedor became secretary-general of theMovimiento while Suárez was appointed deputy secretary-general. Herrero Tejedor was considered a likely candidate for prime minister until his death in a car accident in June.[1] In December, shortly afterFrancisco Franco's death, Suárez was promoted to secretary-general by prime ministerCarlos Arias Navarro, and became a member of Arias's cabinet. In the same year, he also became a founding member of theSpanish People's Union (Unión del Pueblo Español, UDPE).[7]
In July 1976, KingJuan Carlos requested the resignation of Arias. The relatively obscure Suárez was chosen as the newPrime Minister of Spain, surprising many observers.[6] At the age of 43, he was Spain's youngest prime minister in the 20th century.[7] Due to his Francoist ties, Suárez enjoyed the trust of the political right, while the reformists were dismayed by his appointment.[8][9] Nevertheless, it was noted that due to his age (he turned 7 years old the year that the civil war ended), Suárez was not as strongly associated with the bloody Civil War or the most brutal years of Franco's rule as the older politicians.[2][8]
Within a year of his appointment, Suárez had rapidly introduced reform measures and taken decisive steps in Spain'stransition to democracy (La Transición). ThePolitical Reform Act, which permitted universal suffrage and established the basis for a new,bicameral parliament, was passed by a huge majority in the Francoist Cortes in November 1976 and overwhelmingly approved by areferendum in December.[6][9] Suárez managed to placate the conservative military officers, while also reaching out toFelipe González'sSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and later,Santiago Carrillo'sCommunist Party of Spain (PCE).[6] Between February and April 1977, the PSOE and the PCE were both legalised, trade unions were recognised, and theMovimiento was abolished.[9] The legalisation of the PCE in particular provoked fury in the Spanish military; Suárez responded by sacking hardliners and promoting more liberal officers such asManuel Gutiérrez Mellado.[5] On 15 June, Suárez led theUnion of the Democratic Centre (Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD) to victory in Spain'sfirst free elections in 41 years, and became the first democratically elected prime minister of the post-Francoist Spain.[9]
Suárez's political power eroded as he struggled to deal with economic recession, mounting violent activity byETA, calls for further regional autonomy and divisions within his own party. He became increasingly withdrawn from governance, partly due to a chronic dental condition. He survived amotion of no confidence presented by Felipe González and the PSOE in May 1980.[6] In January 1981, trailing in the polls behind the PSOE and faced with a revolt within the UCD, Suárez announced his resignation as prime minister.[2] A month later, as parliament took the vote to confirm Suárez's successorLeopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, Lieutenant-ColonelAntonio Tejero and around 200Civil Guards stormed the chamber in an attempted coup and held the lawmakers hostage for some 22 hours.[7] Suárez, along with two other parliamentarians, exhibited defiance by remaining calmly seated during the panic.[6] The23-F coup attempt ("El Tejerazo") failed as it was opposed by Spain's main newspaperEl País (who managed to get a special edition in favor of the constitution issued and distributed on the evening of the coup attempt) and denounced by King Juan Carlos I in a televised address. Meanwhile, promised military support for the coup failed to materialise – with few exceptions, most notablyJaime Milans del Bosch who led pro-coup troops in Valencia.[7]
Former Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez inBuenos Aires, 1981.
In 1982, Suárez founded theDemocratic and Social Centre (Centro Democrático y Social, CDS) party, which never achieved the success of UCD, though Suárez and its party were important elements in theLiberal International, joining it in 1988, leading to it being renamedLiberal and Progressive International, and Suárez became President of the Liberal International in 1988.[12] He retired from active politics in 1991, for personal reasons.[6]
In 1981, Suárez was raised into theSpanish nobility byKing Juan Carlos of Spain and given the hereditary title of "Duque de Suárez" (Duke of Suárez), together with the titleGrande de España (English: Grandee of Spain) following his resignation as Prime Minister and in recognition of his role in thetransition to democracy. Suárez was awarded thePríncipe de Asturias a la Concordia in September 1996 for his role in Spain's early democracy. On 8 June 2007, during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the first democratic elections, King Juan Carlos appointed Suárez the 1,193rd Knight of theOrder of the Golden Fleece.[13] He was also a member of the Club de Madrid, an independent organization (based in Madrid) that is composed of more than 80 former democratic Prime Ministers and Presidents. The group works to strengthen democratic governance and leadership.[14]
On 31 May 2005, Suárez's son,Adolfo Suárez Illana, announced on Spanish television that his father was suffering fromAlzheimer's disease. The announcement followed speculation about Suárez's health in the Spanish media. On 21 March 2014, his son announced that his death from neurological deterioration was imminent.[15] Suárez then died as a result of a respiratory infection on 23 March 2014 in a clinic in Madrid.[16] Suarez was given a state funeral and was buried in the cloister ofÁvila Cathedral.[17]
Pope Francis shared his condolences, saying: "In fraternal suffrage with you all, I make fervent prayers to the Lord for the eternal rest of this esteemed and feature figure of the recent history of Spain."[18]
On 26 March 2014, the Spanish government decided to rename the Madrid-Barajas Airport to Adolfo SuárezMadrid–Barajas Airport in honour of his service to the country.[19]
Suárez marriedMaría del Amparo Illana Elórtegui in 1961. She died from cancer on 17 May 2001.[20] Their eldest daughter, María del Amparo ("Mariam") Suárez Illana (1962–2004), died ofbreast cancer on 6 March 2004, following an 11-year illness.[21] Both of her younger sisters also suffered from the same illness.[22] She was the mother of two children, Alejandra Romero Suárez (born 1990), herself the current holder of her grandfather's dukedom, and Fernando Romero Suárez (born 1993).[21]
Suarez' youngest daughter, María Sonsoles Suárez Illana (born 1967), became a TVnews anchor forAntena 3. From 1992 to 1994 she was married to José María Martínez-Bordiú y Bassó de Roviralta (a nephew ofCristóbal Martínez-Bordiú, the son-in-law of Francisco Franco); the couple was without issue. In 2012 she married the Mozambican musician Paulo Wilson, and they separated in 2017.[22]
Suárez's eldest son, Adolfo Suárez Illana, is a politician and lawyer who is heavily involved with the world ofbullfighting; he has two sons. Suárez had two more children, his daughter Laura and his son Francisco Javier; both remain unmarried.
Or, two towers Argent, masoned Sable, surmounted by two eagles volant and combatant Sable on a terrace in base Vert charged with an Escallop Argent.[47]
The arms of theCastilian branch of Suárez differenced by an Escallop Argent, the traditional emblem ofJames, son of Zebedee, commonly used inGalicia, because 1st Duke of Suárez's paternal family had Galician origins.
Previous versions
Coat of arms bore as knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
^Medalla de Oro de la provincia de Segovia concedida a su Alteza Real Don Juan de Borbón y Battenberg (1991). Segovia. Provincial Council of Segovia.ISBN84-86789-35-4.
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