Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. (help, get involved!)
Any material not supported by sources may be challenged and removed at any time. This article has been tagged since June 2006.

Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
Prime Minister of Spain
In office February 25, 1981 – December 2, 1982
Preceded by	Adolfo Suárez
Succeeded by	Felipe Gonzalez

Born	April 14, 1926 Madrid
Political party	UCD

Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo, Marquess of Ría de Ribadeo (Don Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo, Marqués de la Ría de Ribadeo) (born April 14, 1926, Madrid) was a Spanish political figure and President of the Spanish government during Spain's period of transition after the end of Francisco Franco's regime.

He was president of RENFE (Spanish national company of railroads) in 1967–1968 and was solicitor in the Cortes in representation of the industrialists of the Union of Chemical Industries (1971). He was Minister of Commerce in the first government of the Monarchy (December 1975 – July 1976) and held various posts in the governments of Adolfo Suárez. After the resignation of Suárez, he was supposed to be appointed Prime Minister (Presidente del Gobierno) on February 23, 1981 in a session of the Congress of Deputies interrupted by an attempted coup (23-F). After the failed coup, he served as Prime minister until 1982. He was succeeded by the socialist Felipe González.