Joaquín Muñoz Peirats ( Valencia, Spain, 1931 - Conakry, Guinea 1987) was a Spanish politician.
After gaining a degree in economics from the University of Deusto and a degree in law from the University of Valladolid [1] he became involved in politics in the late 1960s. An ardent Monarchist, [2] Muñoz belonged to the private council and secretariat of Don Juan de Borbón until its dissolution in 1969. [1] However this attachment to symbolism later led to internal party conflicts. [3]
In 1973 he formed the Liberal Democratic Party, which in 1977, joined with other parties to form the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). [1] As a UCD member, at the 1977 General Election, he was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies representing Valencia Province [4] and was re-elected in the subsequent election in 1979.
In 1978 Muñoz was chosen as one of the members of the Spanish delegation in the Council of Europe [2] later becoming President of the Spanish delegation and Vice-President of the council. [5] He also worked as an advisor and promoter for the PRISA group, the largest publisher in Spain. [5] Muñoz lost his seat in the 1982 General Election and died in Guinea in 1987, having earlier suffered a heart attack in 1979. [5]
In 2008, Eduardo Zaplana, former President of the Valencian Community, stated that he "owed everything" to Muñoz. [6] A street in the town of Foios is named in honour of Muñoz.
References
- ^ a b c Dictionary of Valencian politicians Archived 2009-09-20 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b Obituary, El Pais, 10 September 1987, accessed 2 June 2010
- ^ La Valencia de los años 70: tal como éramos, Francisco Pérez Puche, p133 ISBN 84-87398-47-2 ISBN 978-84-87398-47-6
- ^ La Vanguardia, 17 June 1977, p18 accessed 2 June 2010
- ^ a b c "Joaquín Muñoz Peirats sufre un infarto", El Pais, 26 December 1979
- ^ "Zaplana, un animal político que se va sin haber dejado a nadie indiferente", El Confidencial, 1 May 2008, accessed 2 June 2010