Manoel Soto Ferreiro (6 April 1944 – 27 November 2019) was a

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( es, Partido Socialista Obrero Español ; PSOE ) is a social-democraticThe PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources: * * * * political party in Spain. The PSOE has been in gov ...

(PSOE) politician. He was the first democratically elected mayor of

Vigo Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Penins ...

in Galicia from 1979 to 1991.

Biography

Born in

Ourense Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...

, Soto was a founder of the

Socialists' Party of Galicia The Socialists' Party of Galicia ( gl, Partido dos Socialistas de Galicia, PSdeG–PSOE) is a centre-left political party in Galicia, Spain. It is the Galician affiliate of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). It defines itself as a Gal ...

(PSdeG). In the first democratic local elections in April 1979, his party came second to the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) but governed through a coalition with three other left-wing parties, making him mayor. In the 1980s, Soto reformed the industrial city with new sculptures and projects, such as renovation of the

Balaídos The Estadio Municipal de Balaídos (), known as Abanca-Balaídos for sponsorship reasons, is an all-seater stadium located in Vigo, Spain. It is owned by the Vigo's city council, and is the home of La Liga club Celta Vigo. The stadium opened on ...

stadium for the

1982 FIFA World Cup The 1982 FIFA World Cup was the 12th FIFA World Cup, a quadrennial Association football, football tournament for men's senior national teams, and was played in Spain between 13 June and 11 July 1982. The tournament was won by Italy national foo ...

. He sympathised with the '' Movida viguesa'' youth music and arts movement during the decade. He and his administration locked themselves in the city hall during the neo-Francoist 1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt. Soto served three terms as mayor, all in coalition. He often clashed with

Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Ambas ...

, the right-wing

President of the Regional Government of Galicia The president of the Regional Government of Galicia ( gl, Presidente da Xunta de Galicia, es, Presidente de la Xunta de Galicia), is the head of government of Galicia. The president leads the executive branch of the regional government. The curr ...

, over investment. In 1991, he stepped aside for Carlos Príncipe as part of an agreement with the Galician Left (EG) and

Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( gl, Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG ) is a political alliance of left-wing Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic front". Formed in 1982, under the guidance of historical leader Xosé Man ...

(BNG). His own party Progresistas Vigueses earned seats in opposition in 1999 and 2003, and his reconstituted

Partido Galeguista Demócrata The Partido Galeguista Demócrata (PGD, ''Galicianist/Galician Nationalist Democratic Party'') is a Galician centrist political party that claims to be the ideological heir of the Partido Galeguista. Until 2011 its name was ''Partido Galeguista ...

was unsuccessful. In his final years, Soto was a political pundit on local channel Televigo. He died of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma (since about 98–99% of all lung cancers are carcinomas), is a malignant lung tumor characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissue (biology), tissues of the lung. Lung carcinomas derive from tran ...

at the age of 75. His funeral was attended by incumbent mayor

Abel Caballero Abel Ramón Caballero Álvarez (born 2 September 1946) is a Spanish professor of Economics and since June 2007, the current Mayor of Vigo, representing PSdeG-PSOE . Since 19 September 2015, he has also served as the president of the Spanish Fe ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Soto, Manoel 1944 births 2019 deaths People from Ourense Spanish Socialist Workers' Party politicians Mayors of Vigo Deaths from lung cancer in Spain 20th-century Spanish politicians