A life dedicated to politics
At the age of 81, Joan Rigol, former deputy, former minister and former president of the Parliament, has died, as reported by ‘La Vanguardia’ and confirmed by the ACN agency.
Born in Torrelles de Llobregat (Baix Llobregat) in 1943, Rigol had an extensive political career. He held the presidency of the Parliament between 1999 and 2003, and was also a member of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. During the first two governments of Jordi Pujol, he held the position of counselor, first in the Ministry of Labor and then in the Ministry of Culture.
An outstanding political legacy
In addition to his role in the Parliament, Rigol was president of the Unió Democràtica party for 13 years, of the National Pact for the Right to Decide and participated in the 2017 Catalan elections with Junts. In 2019, he received the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Generalitat in recognition of his outstanding political career.
Training and political affiliations
Rigol, a man with a humanistic and philosophical training, obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Management from ESADE, and was a member of the Spanish Institute of Investment Analysts. In addition, he had doctorates in Theology and Philosophy.
He joined Unió Democràtica in 1976, becoming its president from 1987 to 2000. During the first Spanish legislature (1979-1980), he was a deputy in the Congress of Deputies before being named Minister of Labor (1980-1984) and later Minister of Culture (1984-1985) in the government of Jordi Pujol.
Contributions to Parliament and beyond
After passing through the first two governments, Rigol was a deputy in the Parliament for four consecutive terms until 2003. He also served as a senator representing the Generalitat from 1993 to 1999. At the beginning of the sixth Catalan legislature, he was elected president of the Parliament, a position he held until 2003, succeeding Joan Reventós.
After the breakup of the coalition between Convergència i Unió in 2015, Rigol left the UDC militancy and joined Demòcrates de Catalunya. His humanistic commitment led him to be part of various sociocultural entities, from the Olof Palme Foundation at the Institute of Humanities, the Joan Maragall Foundation or Òmnium Cultural.
