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Rodolfo Martín Villa

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Martín and the second or maternal family name is Villa.

Rodolfo Martín Villa (born 3 October 1934) is a Spanish engineer and politician, who served in various capacities in the cabinets of the Spanish transition to democracy, including interior minister and first deputy prime minister. He was under investigation in Argentina for aggravated homicide and crimes against humanity committed during the 1976 Vitoria massacre,[1][2] and was indicted in 2021,[3] but not found guilty in September 2022.[4]

Rodolfo Martín Villa
Martín Villa in 1980
First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
In office
1 December 1981 – 28 July 1982
Prime MinisterLeopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Preceded byManuel Gutiérrez Mellado
Succeeded byAlfonso Guerra
Minister of Interior
In office
5 July 1976 – 6 April 1979
Prime MinisterAdolfo Suárez
Preceded byManuel Fraga Iribarne
Succeeded byAntonio Ibáñez Freire
Minister for Trade Union Relations
In office
12 December 1975 – 5 July 1976
Prime MinisterCarlos Arias Navarro
Personal details
Born (1934-10-03) 3 October 1934 (age 90)
Santa María del Páramo, Second Spanish Republic
NationalitySpanish
Political party
Alma materTechnical University of Madrid

Early life and education

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Martín Villa was born in Santa María del Páramo, León, on 3 October 1934.[5] He holds a university degree in engineering which he obtained from Technical University of Madrid.[5]

Career

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Martín Villa is an industrial engineer and tax inspector by profession.[6] In February 1962 he became the head of the Sindicato Español Universitario, the university syndicate of FET y de las JONS.[7] He replaced Jesús Aparicio-Bernal in the post.[7] Martín Villa's tenure ended in December 1964, and Daniel Regalado assumed the post.[7]

Martín Villa was a member of the Union of the Democratic Centre.[8] He was the civil governor of Barcelona until his appointment as minister for trade union relations in 1975.[9] His tenure lasted until 1976.[10]

He was appointed interior minister in the first cabinet of Adolfo Suárez on 5 July 1976, succeeding Manuel Fraga in the post.[11][12] Martín Villa won a seat in the 1977 general election, the first democratic elections in Spain since 1936, for the UCD,[11][13] representing León. Following the election he retained his post as interior minister, being responsible for internal security, local administration, and civil rights.[14] He also tried to carry out some reforms in these areas, but was unable to reform the Spanish police due to the intervention of the Spanish Army.[15] On 6 April 1979, Martín Villa's term as interior minister ended, and he was succeeded by Antonio Ibáñez Freire.[15]

In a reshuffle of September 1980, he was appointed minister of the regions in the Suárez cabinet.[16] He then served as first deputy prime minister from 1 December 1981 to 28 July 1982.[6] After holding his seat for the UCD in the 1979 and 1982 general elections, he resigned in February 1983, but returned to the Congress at the 1989 election as a member of the People's Party, representing Madrid, holding his seat in the two subsequent elections before resigning in February 1997.

In addition, he was a board member of the institution Caja de Madrid, a savings and loans institution.[6] On 10 February 1997, he was named as the chairman of the Sociedad Estatal de Participaciones Industriales.[6] From February 1997 to May 2002, he was the chairman of Endesa, a government-controlled electricity group.[17][18] He became honorary chairman of the company in May 2002.[18]

In 2006, he was appointed chairman of the Sogecable, a Spanish pay-TV provider.[12] His term ended in October 2010,[13] and Manuel Polanco replaced him in the post.[19][20] Martín Villa was a member of the advisory committee of former Madrid-based think tank FRIDE.[21]

Trial

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Argentine human rights lawyers announced in Madrid on 23 April 2013 that three former Spanish ministers of the Franco regime, including Martín Villa, should be arrested and tried due to their alleged participation in the killing of Argentine citizens.[10] Martín Villa was specifically accused of ordering the execution of five workers during a labour strike in Vitoria in March 1976.[10]

In September 2022, the Argentine court decided by a vote of 2 to 1 that the charge of crimes against humanity levelled at Martín Villa should be annulled.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Interpol pide la detención de 20 imputados por crímenes franquistas". El Diario. 12 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Interpol pide la detención preventiva de Martín Villa y otros 19 imputados por crímenes franquistas". 12 November 2014.
  3. ^ "Argentinian judge indicts Franco-era Spanish minister on homicide charges". The Guardian. 16 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b J. J. Gálvez (21 September 2022). "La justicia argentina da la razón a Martín Villa y confirma que se anula su procesamiento por delitos de lesa humanidad". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 July 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Rodolfo Martín Villa" (in Spanish). Fundacion Pablo VI. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "Endesa makes announcement". Business Wire. 10 February 1997. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Stanley G. Payne (1999). Fascism in Spain, 1923–1977. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 440. ISBN 978-0-299-16564-2.
  8. ^ "Fallece el ex Ministro del Interior Juan José Roson tras combatir cuatro años contra una enfermedad incurable". El Pais (in Spanish). 19 August 1986. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  9. ^ S. D. Eaton (1981). The Forces of Freedom in Spain, 1974-1979: A Personal Account. Stanford, CA: Hoover Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-8179-7453-4.
  10. ^ a b c "Argentinean lawyers want former Franco ministers to face human rights charges". El Pais. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Left ahead in cities in Spain's election". The Guardian. 16 June 1977. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Dr. Moisès Broggi, The International Brigade surgeon". Catalonia Press. 31 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  13. ^ a b Nuria Almiron; Ana I. Segovia (2012). "Financialization, Economic Crisis, and Corporate Strategies in Top Media Companies: The Case of Grupo Prisa". International Journal of Communication. 6: 2894–2917.
  14. ^ Jesus Duva (8 February 2012). "The week democracy nearly fell". El Pais. Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  15. ^ a b Paul Preston (2004). The Triumph of Democracy in Spain. Routledge. p. 96. ISBN 978-0-203-39296-6.
  16. ^ "Suarez reshuffles Spanish Cabinet to earn credibility". The Christian Science Monitor. 10 September 1980. Retrieved 27 April 2013.
  17. ^ Natasha de Terain (26 July 2004). "The party is over at the house of Aznar". Financial News. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  18. ^ a b "Manuel Pizarro Moreno, Appointed Chairman of ENDESA". Business Wire. 14 May 2002. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  19. ^ "Manuel Polanco to Replace Rodolfo Martin Villa at Prisa Group". The Hollywood Reporter. Madrid. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Manuel Polanco appointed new president of Sogecable". PRISA. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
  21. ^ "Advisory Committee". FRIDE. 2012. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013.
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