Anna Balletbò, former Socialist MP who lived through the 23-F protests, dies
She was the only parliamentarian who was able to leave Congress during the failed coup because she was pregnant.
BarcelonaJournalist and former Socialist MP Anna Balletbò died this Friday at the age of 81, according to sources confirmed to ARA. She currently presided over the Olof Palme International Foundation and had also been a professor of information science at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. As a member of parliament, Balletbò was the protagonist of one of the most memorable moments of the failed coup d'état of 23-F: she was the only member allowed by the military to leave the chamber. because she was pregnant, and twins.
Over the years, Balletbò (Santpedor, 1943) gave details of what happened when she left Congress that Monday, February 23, 1981. The first thing the socialist leader did was call her family and the then president of the Generalitat, Jordi Pujol, to get some help. Immediately after, she dialed the number of the Zarzuela Palace and told Juan Carlos I what had happened inside the chamber, where Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero had burst in. Balletbó informed the monarch of the name of the military coup leader because a deputy from the UCD, who was a military man, had recognized him and told him so. Balletbò, who won a seat in Congress in 1980, continued her career in the lower house until 2000. She recorded all these experiences in writing in her book A Woman in Transition: Backroom Confessions(Wind Flower).
Fellow members of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) have mourned her death and recalled her contribution to building the party in Catalonia—she was part of Convergència Socialista de Catalunya, one of the families that later merged under the PSC banner—as well as her commitment to feminism. One of them was the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, who described her as an "enthusiastic and always active" woman, whom he highlighted as a "courageous" public servant and defender of socialist values "when it was most difficult and necessary." The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has announced that he will posthumously award her the Gold Medal for Civic Merit. She finished 38th on his list in the 2019 municipal elections.
Linked to the PSC since its inception
Led by Raimon Obiols, Balletbò's name has been linked to the acronym of the Catalan socialists since its inception. The former MP was one of the people who took the stage in 1976, at the so-called Rally for Freedom, the first authorized since 1939 in Barcelona. "We women who have only known the dictatorship are here today to win freedom and build socialism," she said in her speech. which is preserved in the archives of the Rafael Campalans Foundation. Thirty years later, Balletbò received the Cross of Sant Jordi from Pasqual Maragall's government for her defense of women's and human rights around the world. "She paved the way for women's participation in politics, the media, and the country's social and economic life," recalled the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero. The former MP was a pioneer, calling, back in 2000, for a woman to occupy the top position of secretary of the PSC (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), after Narcís Serra left office. One of her role models—and close friend—was the Barcelona writer Maria Aurèlia Capmany, whom she praised throughout her life as a beacon of feminist struggle.
Before entering politics, Balletbò worked as a teacher and journalist for media outlets such as RTVE, and later earned degrees in history and media science. His travels led him to become a correspondent for the BBC's foreign service in London for a time, where he used the pseudonym Lluís Sans. Between 2000 and 2007, he also served on the board of directors of RTVE, and later served on the governing board of the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation for a couple of years. Furthermore, in 1985, he received Sweden's Polar Star, an award recognizing civic service to the country.
Despite having left the front line, in recent years Balletbò had still attended PSC events and closely followed political and international news. As she explained to ARA a few months ago, during the last election campaign she even sent a message to Salvador Illa, then a candidate, to explain how she had seen him in one of the televised electoral debates. Through the foundation, she also became involved in hosting Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war with Russia.
