Pasqual Maragall
Leader of the Opposition in the Parliament of Catalonia | |
---|---|
In office 16 November 1999 – 17 December 2003 | |
Preceded by | Joaquim Nadal |
Succeeded by | Artur Mas (Office suspended between 17 December 2003 and 27 May 2004) |
President of the Barcelona'92 Olympic Organising Committee | |
In office 2 October 1988 – 9 August 1992 | |
IOC President | Juan Antonio Samaranch |
Preceded by | Park Seh-jik |
Succeeded by | Billy Payne |
Chair of the Barcelona'92 Olympic Organising Committee | |
In office 12 March 1987 – 15 September 1992 | |
Preceded by | Committee established |
Succeeded by | Position dissolved |
Personal details | |
Born | Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain | 13 January 1941
Nationality | Spain |
Political party | Socialists' Party of Catalonia |
Spouse | Diana Garrigosa (1965-2020; her death)[2] |
Children | Two daughters and a son |
Occupation | Politician |
Signature | |
Pasqual Maragall i Mira (Catalan pronunciation:
Early life and education
He was born in Barcelona in 1941 as the third of eight siblings. His grandfather was the Catalan poet Joan Maragall. In 1965, he married Diana Garrigosa, and he has two daughters and a son. He was an active member of the Workers' Front of Catalonia and joined the left-wing anti-Franco movement Popular Liberation Front. He studied law and economics at the University of Barcelona between 1957 and 1964.
In 1965, after his studies, he joined the Specialist Office of
Between 1971 and 1973, he lived in
Beginnings in politics
In 1973, he came back to Barcelona and returned to the
First elections
He joined the
In 1986, Barcelona was chosen to host the 1992 Summer Olympics Accordingly, the city's mayor – Pasqual Maragall – presided over the organising committee (COOB'92). The Olympics provided the city with sorely needed infrastructure. Another Maragall initiative, the 2004 Universal Forum of Cultures, exhibited the same "top-down" approach. It is widely recognised, however, that the '92 Games helped Barcelona to redefine itself as one of the great cities of Europe.[6]
From 1991 to 1997, he was President of the
Recent years
In 1997, Pasqual Maragall resigned as Barcelona's mayor and returned to university lecturing in Rome and New York City. Two years later he came back to active politics and was elected as the
In 2000, he was elected President of the
On 16 December 2003, Maragall was elected President of the Generalitat by the Catalan Parliament after cliff-hanger negotiations with the
On 21 June 2006, Maragall announced that he would not be standing for reelection (see
In 2007 he founded the Catalunya Europa Foundation, which develops work inspired by the thought and political work of Maragall, including the active involvement of Catalan society in a more united Europe, the global role of cities as spaces for social transformation, and lasting dialogue between Catalonia, Spain and Europe.[8]
In 2017 a collection of essays edited by Jaume Claret, Pasqual Maragall: Pensament i acció, was published by RBA Libros. Academics and colleagues of the politician discuss the essential points of his career: the city and the region, his vision of Catalonia's place in Spain and in the world, government policies and the 1992 Olympic Games, among others.
In 2020, a documentary film directed by Josep M. Mañé and Francesca Català, Maragall i la Lluna, was released.[9] The documentary starts with the experience of Lluna, a girl who was eight years old when, in 1993, the then-mayor of Barcelona moved into her home to better understand the reality of the Roquetes neighborhood. Twenty-five years later, Lluna begins a search that starts with the memory of those days and leads her to discover Maragall through family members, acquaintances and politicians.
References
- ^ "Presidents of the Generalitat". catalangovernment.eu. Generalitat de Catalunya. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
- ^ Muere Diana Garrigosa, la esposa del expresidente de la Generalitat, Pasqual Maragall (in Spanish)
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- ISBN 9780415288415.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-09-05.
- ^ "Mission and objectives" (in Catalan, English, and Spanish). Catalunya Europa Foundation. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
- ^ "Maragall i la Lluna" (in Catalan and Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2021.