Adolfo Suárez

Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (Spanish pronunciation: [aˈðolfo ˈswaɾeθ]; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014), was a Spanish lawyer and politician who was Prime Minister of Spain from 1976 to 1981. He was the country's first democratically elected prime minister since Juan Negrín of the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in the country's transition to democracy after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

When Spain was still an autocratic regime, he was appointed prime minister by King Juan Carlos in 1976. At the time of his appointment, he was not a well-known figure, making many political forces skeptical of his government. However, he oversaw the end of the Francoist Cortes, and the legalisation of all political parties (including the Communist Party of Spain, a particularly difficult move). He led the Union of the Democratic Centre and won the 1977 general election. In 1981, he resigned and founded the party Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), which was elected to the Cortes numerous times. He retired from politics in 1991 and from public life in 2003, due to Alzheimer's disease.

Awards: Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic, Princess of Asturias Award for Concord, Grand Cross of the Civil Order of Alfonso X the Wise, Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, Grand Cross of the Order of Cisneros, Gran Cross of the Order of James I the Conqueror, honorary doctor of the University of Madrid Complutense, Grand Cross of the Order of the Sun of Peru‎, honorary doctorate of the University of La Coruña, Grand Cross of the Military Order of Christ Education: University of Salamanca, Complutense University of Madrid

Source: Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolfo_Su%C3%A1rez