On January 29, 1981, during a cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez resigned. "I am leaving without having been asked to [...] I am leaving so that this system of freedoms, for which I have suffered greatly [...], is not abruptly interrupted [...], but it has been worth it. If my sacrifice once served to build democracy, this one must serve to prevent its destruction." "I have lost the trust of the powers that be, I have lost the acceptance of the press, I have lost legitimacy in the eyes of the opposition, I have lost the credibility of a large part of our electorate, I have lost my own party [...]". The moment was solemn. The Minister of Defense, Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún, inappropriately requested the floor and announced the appointment of General Alfonso Armada as Deputy Chief of the Army Staff. Prime Minister Suárez glared at him.