Tributes continue to pour in from all sectors of society for former regional president Manuel Hermoso, who has died at the age of 89 and whose passing is being marked by four days of official mourning.
Born in 1935, the veteran politician headed the government of the islands for six years from 1993 until 1999 as leader of the newly-formed Canarian Coalition (an amalgam of different smaller groupings led by his own Tenerife-based ATI party), which went on to hold the presidency for 26 years before being unseated by the socialist PSOE party in 2019.
However, Hermoso’s contribution to politics in the region is much wider and goes much further back than his terms as president. He first came to prominence as Santa Cruz de Tenerife’s first democratically elected mayor following the end of the Franco regime and championed the cause of the Tenerife capital for almost twelve years, while also acting as a father figure to then newcomers in local and regional politics such as Miguel Zerolo and Adán Martín.
During his mayoral term, he played a key role in pushing flagship construction projects such as the Parque Marítimo open air swimming pool complex and the Auditorium concert hall, which has been likened to the Sydney Opera House.
During those years also, Santa Cruz secured a place for itself among Europe’s leading Carnival cities, a side of the city Hermoso was keen to showcase by hosting international events based around Carnival.
An MP in the Spanish Parliament in the mid-1980s, Hermoso was well known for his mild-mannered but unwavering defence of the interests of the Canaries in Madrid.
Following his retirement from front-line politics, he returned to his business activities as head of various successful family companies but continued to be revered by newer generations of politicians, who sought his counsel on many matters.
One of his last major appearances in public was a ceremony in which he handed over his extensive collection of personal documents gathered during his many years in politics to Tenerife’s provincial archive. He also turned out with all surviving Canarian presidents to honour Jerónimo Saavedra, the president whom Hermoso replaced and who died in November 2023.
(Photo of guard of honour of ex-presdent Hermoso coffin)
