José Manuel Otero Novas


Category: Lawyer
Birth Date: 23rd March 1940
Birth Place: Vigo (Pontevedra)
 Curriculum

He took a degree in Law and worked as a lawyer in the High Court. He is also an inspector of the Ministry of Finance. He filled the following offices: director general of Domestic Policy (with Fraga Iribarne after Franco's death), undersecretary of the president of the Government, minister of the Presidency and minister of Education (with Adolfo Suárez). He was a deputy in Lugo (UCD) and Zamora (PP). He always practised and still does as a freelance lawyer.

 Work & Activities

He was a foundation member of the group ‘Tácito’ and president of ‘Valle Inclán’ Cultural Club in Lugo. He took an active part in the transition to democracy. He promoted the Statue of Teaching Institutions that established the freedom of teaching and created 930,000 new public posts and signed the decrees that incorporated other Spanish languages to the educative system (the decrees established the duty of studying the vernacular language and the right of studying Castilian or the vernacular language).

 Other Interesting Aspects

He published the following books: La administración como sujeto. Relaciones Obligacionales, Nuestra democracia puede morir (Plaza, 1986), Defensa de la nación española (Fénix, 1998), Fundamentalismos enmascarados (Ariel, 2001), El retorno de los Césares and Mitos del pensamiento dominante, Paz, Democracia y Razón (Libros Libres, 2011).