Guillermo Fernández Vara, former president of Extremadura and socialist baron, dies.
Secretary General of the PSOE of Extremadura for 16 years, in 2023 he made public that he had been diagnosed with a tumor in his stomach.
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. Fernández Vara won the 2023 elections in Extremadura, 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 won the elections, but I 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.
A forensic doctor by training, Fernández Vara began his political career with 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 vocal fan of Barça.
Alarms about the socialist's health began to ring 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. The PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) of Extremadura issued a similar statement, urging "caution" and expressing gratitude for the outpouring of support.
