Manuel del Valle
Manuel del Valle | |
---|---|
Mayor of Seville | |
In office 24 May 1983 – 30 June 1991 | |
Preceded by | Luis Uruñuela |
Succeeded by | Alejandro Rojas-Marcos |
President of the Provincial Council of Seville | |
In office 1979–1983 | |
Preceded by | Mariano Borrero |
Succeeded by | Miguel Ángel Pino Menchén |
Member of the Seville City Council | |
In office 3 May 1979 – 17 June 1991 | |
Senator of Spain for Seville | |
In office 1979–1982 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Seville, Spain | 10 November 1939
Died | 26 March 2020 Seville, Spain | (aged 80)
Political party | PSOE |
Alma mater | University of Seville |
Profession | Lawyer politician |
Manuel del Valle Arévalo (10 November 1939 – 26 March 2020) was a Spanish lawyer, politician, and member of the
The Spanish newspaper, ABC, called Manuel del Valle's infrastructure developments "the greatest transformation of the city since the times of García de Vinuesa as mayor in the 19th century," when that mayor demolished portions of the Walls of Seville.[4]
Biography
Manuel del Valle was born in
Del Valle joined the fledgling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) during the early 1970s. He was close friends and associates of several prominent, future PSOE leaders during his early life and career, including Felipe González (the future PSOE Prime Minister of Spain), Alfonso Guerra, and Manuel Chaves.[2][5] In 1974, Manuel del Valle and a group of young PSOE allies, including Felipe González, won the party's leadership elections, which were held in Suresnes, France, as the Franco dictatorship was still in power.[2]
From 1979 until 1983, Manuel del Valle served as the first democratically elected President of the
Mayor of Seville
Prime Minister
During the 1980s, it was announced that Seville would host the forthcoming
Del Valle's 1987 urban plan called for rebuilding of Seville's entire train and road systems.
Del Valle also built the new SE-30 ring road, first as a two-lane road before its expansion to three-lanes, around Seville to re-route traffic flow.[4]
He also spearheaded a series of brand new bridges over the Guadalquivir during his administration.[2] New major bridges opened under del Valle's PGOU plan included the Alamillo Bridge, the Puente de la Barqueta and the Centenario Bridge, which were built between 1989 and 1992. Other bridges added by Mayor del Valle include the Puente de las Delicias (opened in 1990) and the Pasarela de la Cartuja (opened in 1991).[4]
Despite his achievements and successful transformation of Seville's urban landscape in preparation for the Seville Expo '92, Mayor del Valle's political party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), decided not to renominate him for re-election in the 1991 Seville City Council elections.[2] His re-election as mayor was opposed and rejected at the behest of Alfonso Guerra, a major PSOE figure at the time.[3] The loss of the renomination meant that Manuel del Valle, who had spent years redesigning Seville's urban landscape and infrastructure, would not open Seville Expo '92 as the city's sitting mayor, which was a major personal and professional disappointment.[2][3]
Instead of renominating del Valle for another term as mayor, the PSOE chose Luis Yáñez to lead the PSOE ticket as del Valle's potential successor.[2] However, the move backfired and Yáñez and the PSOE lost the 1991 municipal election, which was won by Alejandro Rojas-Marcos of the Andalusian Party (PA).[2] Manuel del Valle left office on 30 June 1991, more than a year before the opening of the Seville Expo '92.[5] As for the PSOE, the party did not regain the mayor's office until Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín was elected in 1999.[3]
Many of the urban planning projects begun by del Valle continued to open in the months after he left office in time for Seville Expo '92. In 1992, the new
Later life and career
Del Valle remained active in a variety of civic, historical, and urban affairs organizations after leaving office. He chaired the El Monte Foundation and served as a member of the
Manuel del Valle remained a loyal member of the PSOE, though he also became a critic of the party's leadership in recent years. In December 2019 interview, del Valle criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other current PSOE leaders, saying "they are going to destroy the party, although, I believe that it is already destroyed."[2]
Del Valle began chemotherapy for leukemia at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in October 2019.[5] He died from the disease at his Plaza Alfonso de Cossío home in the Huerta de la Salud neighborhood of Seville on 26 March 2020, at the age of 81.[2][3]
References
- ^ "Fallece el ex alcalde de Sevilla Manuel del Valle". La Razon. March 26, 2020. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z "Muere Manuel del Valle, el exalcalde de Sevilla que rediseñó la ciudad". ABC. March 27, 2020. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Navarro Antolín, Carlos (March 26, 2020). "Muere Manuel del Valle, ex alcalde de Sevilla y alcaide del Alcázar". Diario de Sevilla. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Rubio, Javier (March 28, 2020). "Cómo cambió Sevilla bajo el mandato del alcalde Manuel del Valle". ABC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- ^ a b c Garcia Reyes, Alberto (March 27, 2020). "Manuel del Valle, un sevillano británico". ABC. Retrieved April 18, 2020.