Curriculum

After taking a degree in Law at the University of Santiago de Compostela, he worked as a secretary of the local Administration and practised as a lawyer for eighteen years, being a member of several Bar Associations. He was a ‘Conselleiro’ in 1980 and 1981 and participating in the drawing up of the so-called ‘Estatuto de los 16’, which was the inmediate precedent of the present Galician Statute of Autonomy. He took an active part in the referendum campaign for the approval of the Statute of Autonomy, explaining its meaning and scope as well as requesting the positive vote of all citizens. He was an autonomic deputy during the first four sessions of the Galician Parliament (1981, 1985, 1989 and 1997). From 1983 to 1986, he was the ‘Conselleiro’ of Education and Culture in the Government of President Fernández Albor. During this period, over a hundred schools were built in Galicia, other were extended and 7500 new post of non-university teachers were created. In that sense, it was the first time in Galician history there was a full schooling. Between 1990 and 1997, in the Government of president Fraga Iribarne, he was the ‘Conselleiro’ of Institutional Relations and spokesman on the Government, ‘Conselleiro’ of Culture and ‘Conselleiro’ or Parliamentarian Matters. He promoted Xacobeo 93 as a complete Plan of physical, cultural and economical rehabilitation of the Way of St James, which made Galicia reach a clear leading role in Europe and attract millions of tourists. At his proposal, the Galician Parliament had approved the plan unanimously as well as the Law regulating the protection of the Way of St James and the Galician Cultural Heritage. At that time, the UNESCO also declared the Way of St James as World Cultural Heritage. From 1998 to 2000, he was an autonomic senator and from 2000 to 2004 senator representing Pontevedra and president of the General Commission of the Autonomous Regions. In the year 2004, he was elected again as senator in Pontevedra.