Emilio Attard Alonso
Encyclopedia
Emilio Attard Alonso was a Spanish
politician
.
Attard originally became politically active in his youth during the Second Spanish Republic
. In this period he worked as a lawyer and a legal adviser to the Bank of Spain in Valencia. He also studied journalism in the early 1930s, writing numerous articles, and subsequently helped to found the Spanish Export Bank. By the 1960s he had become Deacon of the Spanish College of Lawyers.
Following the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco
. He then became founder and President of the Valencian People's Party and Vice-President of the federation of People's Parties. That party, not to be confused with the current grouping of the same name, joined with other parties to form the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) in 1977. As a UCD member, at the 1977 General Election
, he was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies representing Valencia Province
and was re-elected in the subsequent election in 1979
.
A distinguished lawyer, during the Spanish transition to democracy
Attard was chosen as President of the parliamentary commission charged with editing the new Spanish constitution
. Along with the other six members of the Constitutional Commission he was subsequently awarded the Grand Cross of Alonso X by the King Juan Carlos I
Within the UCD, he served as Vice-President of the UCD parliamentary group in Congress as well as serving on the UCD national executive and the Valencian regional executive. He was also one of the Vice-Presidents of the Congress.
The late 1970s in Valencia saw a dispute over the Valencian Statute of Autonomy
, a period which became known as the "Battle of Valencia" During this period Attard was a major figure in organising anti-Catalan
groups as a political tactic for the UCD. However he was credited with coining the name of the Valencian Community
, a compromise between the UCD's preferred "Kingdom of Valencia" and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
's (PSOE) preferred "Valencian Country" He left the executive of the UCD in May 1981 and four years later resigned from the Council of State in protest at the naming of the former PSOE minister Tomás de la Cuadra Salcedo as President of that body.
In his later years he dedicated himself to his legal work. Besides this, he worked as Professor of Political rights at the University of Valencia. He also became President of the Constitutional Council of the Generalitat Valenciana
, the Valencian Regional government in 1996 and authored numerous books, many of them on Spanish Constitutionalism and political history.
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Attard originally became politically active in his youth during the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
. In this period he worked as a lawyer and a legal adviser to the Bank of Spain in Valencia. He also studied journalism in the early 1930s, writing numerous articles, and subsequently helped to found the Spanish Export Bank. By the 1960s he had become Deacon of the Spanish College of Lawyers.
Following the end of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
. He then became founder and President of the Valencian People's Party and Vice-President of the federation of People's Parties. That party, not to be confused with the current grouping of the same name, joined with other parties to form the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) in 1977. As a UCD member, at the 1977 General Election
Spanish general election, 1977
The Spanish general election of 1977 took place on 15 June 1977. It was the first election since the death of Francisco Franco.Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. The elections were held using closed list proportional representation in 52 electoral districts...
, he was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies representing Valencia Province
Valencia (Spanish Congress Electoral District)
Valencia is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies—the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It is the third largest district in Congress in terms of the numbers of deputies elected, as it elects sixteen deputies out of the total...
and was re-elected in the subsequent election in 1979
Spanish general election, 1979
General elections were held in Spain on 1 March 1979.-References:* *...
.
A distinguished lawyer, during the Spanish transition to democracy
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
Attard was chosen as President of the parliamentary commission charged with editing the new Spanish constitution
Spanish Constitution of 1978
-Structure of the State:The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions . Preliminary Title As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution...
. Along with the other six members of the Constitutional Commission he was subsequently awarded the Grand Cross of Alonso X by the King Juan Carlos I
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
Within the UCD, he served as Vice-President of the UCD parliamentary group in Congress as well as serving on the UCD national executive and the Valencian regional executive. He was also one of the Vice-Presidents of the Congress.
The late 1970s in Valencia saw a dispute over the Valencian Statute of Autonomy
Statute of Autonomy
Nominally, a Statute of Autonomy is a law hierarchically located under the constitution of a country, and over any other form of legislation...
, a period which became known as the "Battle of Valencia" During this period Attard was a major figure in organising anti-Catalan
Anti-Catalanism
Anti-Catalanism is the collective name given to various political attitudes, nowadays particularly in Spain. Hence, it can refer to a reaction against Catalan nationalism or, particularly, Catalan independentism...
groups as a political tactic for the UCD. However he was credited with coining the name of the Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
, a compromise between the UCD's preferred "Kingdom of Valencia" and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
's (PSOE) preferred "Valencian Country" He left the executive of the UCD in May 1981 and four years later resigned from the Council of State in protest at the naming of the former PSOE minister Tomás de la Cuadra Salcedo as President of that body.
In his later years he dedicated himself to his legal work. Besides this, he worked as Professor of Political rights at the University of Valencia. He also became President of the Constitutional Council of the Generalitat Valenciana
Generalitat Valenciana
The Generalitat Valenciana is the generic name covering the different self government institutions under which the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia is politically organised....
, the Valencian Regional government in 1996 and authored numerous books, many of them on Spanish Constitutionalism and political history.
Published works
- Vida y muerte de UCD (1983)
- Conviviendo en libertad (1986)
- La constitución española por dentro
- Constitucionalismo español: 1808-1978 (1988)
- Mi razón política (1994)
- Diccionario ideológico político de la transición (1995)
- Bosquejo histórico-político de la España contemporánea (1996).