Joan Rigolformer president of the Parliament and historic leader of the Democratic Union of Catalonia, He has died at the age of 81. This was confirmed this Tuesday by the general secretary of Units per Avançar and former general secretary of Unió, Ramon Espadaler.
“Joan Rigol i Roig has left us, Catalan and Christian Democrat politician with a long political career. He was a member of the Unió Democràtica de Catalunya until 2015 and, among other responsibilities, he presided over the Parliament (1999-2003)”, he recalled in a message on the social network X.
Rigol, originally a priest and historical figure of Christian democracy in Catalonia, embraced the independence theses from the beginning of the processes and, for this reason, he distanced himself from the Unió Democràtica of Josep Antoni Duran Lleida in 2015, in the midst of the disintegration of the old CiU.
Today Joan Rigol i Roig, a Catalan and democratic politician with a long political career, has passed away. He was active in the Democratic Union of Catalonia at the end of 2015 and, among other responsibilities, presided over the @parlamentcat (1999 to 2003). My condolences to his wife, family and friends. ACS pic.twitter.com/WIQ4aezrEJ
— Ramon Espadaler (@Ramon_Espadaler) May 7, 2024
Born in Torrelles de Llobregat (Barcelona) on April 4, 1943, he was part of the first autonomous Government chaired by Jordi Pujolbeing named first counselor of Labor (1980-1984). In the following legislature he took over the Culture portfolio, although for a short time (1984-1985), a period in which he promoted a cultural pact with all political forces.
In 1988 he was elected CiU deputy in the Parliament and in 1999, coinciding with the beginning of Jordi Pujol’s last term, he was named president of the Catalan chamber. the most important institutional position that he held and maintained until 2003.
