Lorenzo Olarte, former president of the Canary Islands, dies at 91

Efe Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

The Gran Canarian palms

Updated Saturday, February 3, 2024-09:04

The former president of the Canary Islands

Lorenzo Olarte

has died at the age of 91 in

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria

, where he had been hospitalized since the beginning of this week, as confirmed by the regional government.

Lorenzo Olarte presided over the Government of the Canary Islands between 1988 and 1991 and then served as vice president and Minister of Tourism of the autonomous community between 1995 and 1999.

In his long political career, he was also president of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria between the end of the Franco regime and the Transition (1974-1979) and was elected deputy in both the

Congress

and the Parliament of the autonomous community.

His last public appearance took place on November 22, when he went to the Town Hall of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to say goodbye to

Jerónimo Saavedra

(1936-2023) in his funeral chapel along with five other presidents of the Canary Islands, Manuel Hermoso, Román Rodríguez, Paulino Rivero, Fernando Clavijo and Ángel Víctor Torres.

The Government of the Canary Islands has announced that the president, Fernando Clavijo, is suspending his entire agenda as a sign of mourning.

"He always defended the Canary Islands and fought to enforce the Canarian jurisdiction when they questioned it from Madrid. We owe Lorenzo Olarte the Canary Islands of today. I say goodbye to the president, colleague and teacher. My condolences to his family and friends," he wrote Pin on your X social network account.

The

PSOE Canarias

has mourned the loss of Olarte, "an outstanding public servant", and has conveyed its condolences and a big hug to his family and friends.

The

Canary Coalition

has stated that this is "very sad news" and highlights that his contribution to the Canary Islands "will always remain alongside the legacy of what he did for this land." "Strong defender of the Canary Islands. We stay with that, with his fight, the one that allowed us to build what we are today," highlights the nationalist party.