Guillermo Fernández Vara, former president of Extremadura and socialist baron, dies.

BarcelonaFormer President of Extremadura Guillermo Fernández Vara died early this morning at the age of 66 as a result of stomach cancer, according to the PSOE of Extremadura in a publication in X. Fernández Vara was head of the regional executive between 2007 and 2011 and, after that, of Extremadura between 2015 and 2023. This last year he won the elections in Extremadura again, but did not obtain good enough results to prevent the combined votes of the PP and Vox from giving the presidency to the popular María Guardiola. "We have won the elections, but I have failed," he lamented at the time. In June 2024, he resigned as a regional deputy, after 21 years in office, but continued as a senator and second vice president of this chamber.

A forensic doctor by training, Fernández Vara began his political career as a member of the Popular Alliance, but later joined the Socialist Party, where he spent his entire political career. In recent months, after his illness became public, he fiercely defended public healthcare. "I'm alive because we have the public system we have," he said. He was also a declared Barça supporter. In addition to being president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, he also served as Minister of Health and Social Welfare in his region—arriving with the historic socialist and former president Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra, his political mentor—and as Secretary General of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in Extremadura for 16 years. He also taught Forensic Medicine at the University of Valencia and the University of Extremadura.

Praise for Salvador Isla

Alarms about his health began to sound on Saturday, October 4, when Guardiola announced his death. His family denied the claim and clarified that he was still battling the cancer he had been suffering from for two years, asking for "respect" during such a difficult time for those close to him. This Sunday, with the transfer already confirmed, several Socialist leaders, as well as those from other parties, expressed their condolences and praised Fernández Vara's work in making Extremadura a land of progress. One of them was the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, who emphasized his "commitment." "Extremadura mourns the loss of Guillermo Fernández Vara. A key figure in regional politics who, above any differences, always offered me a warm and sincere treatment," asserted the current President of the Regional Government of Extremadura.

Spanish President Pedro Sánchez praised his willingness to engage in dialogue and his legacy, as did several ministers. While the leader of the People's Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, recalled that he worked side by side there when they were both regional presidents. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, also lamented his death: "As it happened with President LambánSpanish politics has lost a socialist leader with whom we talked, discussed, and found common ground. "What a shame!" he wrote in X.