Daniel de Fernando facts for kids

Daniel de Fernando

Daniel de Fernando Alonso (born February 12, 1938 – died March 7, 2019) was an important Spanish pharmacist and politician. He was a member of two main political parties: the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) and later the Democratic and Social Centre. He held several important jobs, including being a Deputy (a type of representative) in the Constituent Cortes (which helped create Spain's constitution). He also led the local government of Ávila and was a member of the regional parliament of Castile and León.

About Daniel de Fernando

Daniel de Fernando was born in the Province of Ávila in Spain. He became a qualified pharmacist. He became good friends with Adolfo Suárez, who was a very important politician. Because of this friendship, Daniel de Fernando joined Suárez's political party, the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD).

His Time in Government

In 1977, Daniel de Fernando was elected to represent Ávila in the Constituent Cortes. This was a special parliament that helped write Spain's new constitution. He was also elected to the local government of Ávila, called the Provincial Deputation. He became the president of this local government twice: first from 1979 to 1982, and again from 1987 to 1991.

What He Achieved

As the president of the Provincial Deputation, Daniel de Fernando helped make many improvements in Ávila. Some of his big achievements included:

• Building new roads and communication networks.
• Making sure that villages in the countryside had running water.
• Buying the historic Torreón de Lozoya building to use as the main office for the provincial government.

For his hard work, he was given the Deputation's Gold Medal in 2008.

Changing Political Parties

From 1977 to 1982, Daniel de Fernando was part of the General Council of Castile and León. This council helped prepare the region for self-government. During this time, the UCD party started to have problems.

In 1982, he helped Adolfo Suárez create a new political party called the Democratic and Social Centre (Spain) (CDS). Daniel de Fernando became the president of the CDS party from 1987 to 1992. He also led the party in the regional parliament of Castile and León from the first elections in 1983 until 1995. On September 7, 1982, he received a special award called the Great Cross of the Order of Military Merit.

Later Political Career

In 1987, the CDS party chose not to vote for the regional president. This allowed José María Aznar from the People's Alliance (AP) party to win. In return, a CDS member, Carlos Sánchez-Reyes, became the president of the regional parliament. Two years later, the CDS joined forces with the AP party. Daniel de Fernando later said he didn't agree with these decisions, but people higher up in his party made them.

Leaving Politics

In the early 1990s, the CDS party started to lose power. Daniel de Fernando ran for election again in 1995 with a different local group, but he was not successful. After this, he left politics and went back to working as a pharmacist until he retired.

Daniel de Fernando passed away in Ávila when he was 81 years old. The provincial government declared three days of mourning to honor him.

See also

In Spanish: Daniel de Fernando para niños