Jerónimo Saavedra

Jerónimo Saavedra (1983)

Jerónimo Saavedra Acevedo (born 3 July 1936 in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria) is a Spanish politician. He served as President of the Canary Islands twice from 1982 to 1987,^[1]^[2] and again from 1991 to 1993.^[3]^[4]

Biography[]

In 1972 he joined the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), as well as the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT). Being the General secretary of the Canarian Federation of PSOE from 1976 to 1983. Saavedra was elected deputy for the Constituent Cortes in 1977 and re-elected deputy in 1979, 1982 and 1989, representing Las Palmas. During the last Government of Felipe González (5th legislature) Saavedra held the positions of Minister of Public Administrations between 1993 and 1995^[5] and Minister of Education and Science between 1995 and 1996.^[6]

In 1996 and from 1999 to 2003 he was elected senator.^[7]

In 2007 was elected mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in a landslide victory, bringing the twelve-year rule of his conservative People's Party predecessors to an end. An office he held until his defeat in his reelection attempt in 2011. He was designated as Ombudsman (Diputado del Común) in the Canary Islands, between 2011 and 2018 which made him leave the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).^[8]

Saavedra used to teach at Spanish universities—mainly Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC)—and holds a Doctor of Law and a diploma in Company Administration.

Personal life[]

In 2000 during the presentation of a book on outing in Spain he announced publicly that he was gay.^[9]

Likewise, this also led him to become the first openly gay politician in the history of Spain to hold various public offices, such as the first homosexual in the Senate of Spain (a position he held until 2004), as well as being the first gay mayor of a Spanish provincial capital (Las Palmas de Gran Canaria), as well the first governmental minister serving as Minister of Public Administrations between 1993–1995 and of Education and Science 1995–1996, as well as the first gay President of a Spanish province from 1982 to 1987, and again from 1991 to 1993.

References[]

^ "Nueve fuerzas en el Parlamento autónomo". El País (in Spanish).
^ "Jerónimo Saavedra, elegido presidente del Gobierno canario". El País (in Spanish).
^ "El socialista Saavedra volverá a presidir el Gobierno canario". El País (in Spanish).
^ "Lucas asegura que nunca incurrirá en 'perversiones nacionalistas'". El País (in Spanish).
^ "Felipe González cambia la mitad de su Gobierno". El País (in Spanish).
^ "González opta por un cambio mínimo de Gobierno". El País (in Spanish).
^ "Apoyo masivo de los socialistas canarios a Alemán, su nuevo secretario general". El País (in Spanish).
^ "Jerónimo Saavedra toma posesión como Diputado del Común". La Provincia (in Spanish).
^ Pastor, Enric (December 20, 2000). "El ex ministro Saavedra cree que "ocultar la homosexualidad lleva al psicoanalista"". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-25.

Political offices
Preceded by position created	President of the Canary Islands 1982-1987	Succeeded by Fernando Fernández Martín
Preceded by Lorenzo Olarte Cullén	President of the Canary Islands 1991-1993	Succeeded by Manuel Antonio Hermoso Rojas
Preceded by	1993-1995	Succeeded by Joan Lerma
Preceded by Gustavo Suárez Pertierra	1995-1996	Succeeded by Esperanza Aguirre
Preceded by Josefa Luzardo Romano	Mayor of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria 2007-2011	Succeeded by Juan Jose Cardona Gonzalez