Emilio Pérez Touriño

Emilio Pérez Touriño (Spanish pronunciation: [eˈmiljo ˈpeɾeθ towˈɾiɲo]; born 8 August 1948) is a Spanish politician and economist. He is the former secretary general of the Socialists' Party of Galicia and, from August 2005 to March 2009, former president of the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain). Namely, he was president of the executive branch, the Xunta de Galicia. His political views are social democratic and Galicianist.[1][2]

Emilio Pérez Touriño
President of the Regional Government of Galicia
In office
2 August 2005 – 17 April 2009
Vice PresidentAnxo Quintana
Preceded byManuel Fraga
Succeeded byAlberto Núñez Feijóo
Secretary-General of the Socialists' Party of Galicia
In office
10 October 1998 – 2 March 2009
Preceded byFrancisco Vázquez Vázquez
Succeeded byPachi Vázquez
Member of the Parliament of Galicia
In office
20 November 2001 – 10 March 2010
ConstituencyPontevedra
In office
16 October 1997 – 20 November 2001
ConstituencyA Coruña
Member of the Congress of Deputies
In office
3 March 1996 – 28 October 1997
ConstituencyPontevedra
Personal details
Born
Emilio Pérez Touriño

(1948-08-08) 8 August 1948 (age 76)
A Coruña, Galicia, Spain
Political partyPSdeG–PSOE
SpouseEsther Cid
Alma materUniversity of Santiago de Compostela
ProfessionProfessor

Academic studies

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An economist by profession, Pérez Touriño completed a course of specialisation at the University of Grenoble (France). He finished his doctoral degree in economics at the University of Santiago de Compostela. He was also vice-president for financial affairs in that same university. During his university years, Touriño developed an intense academic activity, teaching and publishing a number of works on economy and development. He would frequently use Galicia and Galicia's infrastructures as a case study in the integration with the European Union.

Politics

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During the transition to democracy (1975–1982), following the end of Francoist Spain, Touriño rebranded himself as a left wing political activist and even participated in the drafting of the Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981. He joined the cabinet of minister Abel Caballero at the Spanish ministry for transportation, tourism and communications. He also worked in a senior position at the ministry for public works, transportation and the environment. In 1994, he was accused of having accepted irregular payments and as a result renounced to all his political posts and returned to academia. That same year he also received the Spanish Great Cross of Civil Merit.[3] He eventually returned to politics in 1996 when he was elected to the Spanish Congress representing A Coruña Province though he resigned from Congress in 1997.

In 1998, Touriño replaced Francisco Vázquez as general secretary of the Socialists' Party of Galicia. In 2005 he became the president of Galicia, defeating Manuel Fraga's People's Party of Galicia, thanks to a coalition government established with the Galician Nationalist Bloc. Subsequently, both coalition parties were engaged by the Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, in reviewing the current Statute of Autonomy, in order to renegotiate the status of Galicia as a part of the Spanish State.[4] He was re-elected secretary general of the Socialists' Party of Galicia in July 2008.

In the elections of 2009, his government was ousted by Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the PP.

Academic publications (selection)

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  • _ (1982): "A Evolución da agricultura no capitalismo: a concepción dos clásicos do marxismo como paradigma dunha visión determinista do desenvolvemento histórico", in Revista galega de estudios agrarios, no. 6, p. 183–207.
  • _ (1983): Agricultura y capitalismo: análisis de la pequeña producción campesina. Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Servicio de Publicaciones Agrarias, Madrid.
  • _ (1992): "Las infraestructuras como factor de despegue del desarrollo gallego", in Estructura económica de Galicia, González Laxe [dir]. Espasa Calpe, Madrid, p. 429–488.
  • _ et al. (1997): Infraestructuras y desarrollo regional: efectos económicos de la autopista del Atlántico. Civitas, Madrid.
  • _ et al. (1998): Los Efectos económicos de las autovías de Galicia. Instituto de Estudios Económicos de Galicia Pedro Barrié de la Maza, A Coruña.
  • _ (2001): En clave de país. Santa Comba, A Coruña.
  • _ (2001): "Eurorrexión Galicia-Norte de Portugal, unha oportunidade e un reto", in Tempo exterior, no. 3, p. 17–22.

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Pérez Touriño commenting Galicianism, from newspaper A Nosa Terra Archived 5 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Access date 26 September 2008
  2. ^ Pérez Touriño discussing Galicianism, from online newspaper Xornal.com. Access date 26 September 2008
  3. ^ Short biography of Pérez Touriño, written on 18 June 2005. Access date 26 September 2008
  4. ^ Parliamentary site on the Statute form Archived 24 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Access date 26 September 2008
Political offices
Preceded by President of the Regional Government of Galicia
2005–2009
Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary-General of the PSdeG–PSOE
1998–2009
Succeeded by