Speech by President of the Government at ceremony to swear in President of the Regional Government of Galicia

Parliament of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela

President of the Government.- Mr. President of the Regional Government of Galicia; Mr. Speaker of the Regional Parliament of Galicia; Madam Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament; regional councillors; Members of Parliament; Mr. President of the Council of State; Mr. Government Representative; former Presidents of the Regional Government of Galicia and former Speakers of the Regional Parliament of Galicia; public officials; mayors; councillors; ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

I will be brief. It does not correspond to me, nor to the government I head up - that of all the people of Spain - to play the leading role at this event. We are called here today to witness Alberto Núñez Feijóo being sworn in as the President of the Regional Government of Galicia because that is the decision of the regional parliament that represents the feelings of the people of Galicia who turned out to the elections on 25 September. Today is their day and, in particular, that of Alberto Núñez, who has more than enough reasons to feel satisfied after the people of Galicia have given him, for the third time in a row, an absolute majority in Parliament. I am sure that, as a Galician, he must feel, and he is duly entitled to do so, legitimately proud. To become the President of the Regional Government of Galicia is something very great, at least for a Galician.

I believe that all those who voted for him a month and a half ago appreciated certain values in Alberto Núñez Feijóo that qualify him to be a good governor: moderation; a reformist commitment, the determination that is always necessary and more so at the most difficult times - which there have been, and many of them - social awareness and stability. A majority of the people of Galicia have recognised these qualities, the merits of his effectiveness in the post and also, and perhaps above all, his sentiment as a Galician and his love for Galicia. And perhaps even more importantly, they have wished to give him a vote of confidence because they have been won over by his plans for the future of Galicia.

Congratulations. From the bottom of my heart, I hope that you get things right and that you have at least a little luck as well. You can never have too much and a little always helps.

Ladies and gentlemen,

At the start of this speech I announced that it was not my intention to go on for too long. However, please allow me to pass on to you certain reflections that are purely personal and derive from my own personal circumstances, which point to certain ideas for the future.

I am from Galicia. I was born here, in Santiago. I studied at the law faculty. I was a Member of Parliament for Galicia, a member of the interim board and then of the board of the first regional parliament in the history of Galicia; I am talking about back in 1981. And when I was preparing these words that I am reading out to you, certain memories came back to me that, in turn, inspired certain reflections which, if you will allow me, I will tell you about whilst respecting my opening words that I will be brief.

If we look back at the year 1981, which was the date when as you know, the first Regional Parliament of Galicia was elected, and are given the opportunity to compare the situation back then with the situation now, we can see everything that has happened in our region over not such a long period of time and we can also take away certain conclusions that could perhaps help us to tackle the future with optimism.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Regional Parliament of Galicia had no home back in 1981. The founding session of that chamber took place at Gelmírez Palace because it was authorised by the archbishop at that time, and we used those premises for the regional parliament for some time, until someone decided that it was time to leave and someone else, or even the same person, ordered our provisional transfer to Fonseca Palace and then later, definitively as I understood, to where we find ourselves now.

The Regional Government of Galicia was not in the best of situations then either. Those in charge at that time, with certain exceptions, worked by borrowing or renting various premises spread throughout the city of Santiago, or even outside of it. Such was my situation that I shared a flat and an office with another Director-General of the Regional Government in Rúa del Villano. Please do not take this as a complaint; there is nothing more gratifying than dwelling in such an emblematic part of this city.

Ladies and gentlemen,

That was the situation of the institutions back then, although the interest, enthusiasm and courage with which we all worked easily offset such material hardships. But at that time there were so many things happening or not happening that were more difficult to overcome than the lack of administrative headquarters that allowed us to work with the minimum of decorum.

I remember certain important things: the Cantabria Motorway did not exist; it took a minimum of 45 minutes to travel from Padrón to Santiago. There was no highway, not from Padrón to Santiago or from Padrón to Pontevedra, nor from many places to many other places. You could only drive in the port of Piedrafita at about 10 kilometres per hour, by car I mean; the Rande bridge had just been opened; the Presidents of the Provincial Councils inaugurated the use of electricity- however paradoxical that may seem - in many parts of our region; there were no phone lines in many villages and hamlets; the hospitals were in the cities, such as there were, and likewise with the schools. I won't even mention per capita income. And I could go on ad nauseum.

Ladies and gentlemen,

That is my reflection today, 35 years on. Things have changed in recent years, both here and elsewhere, for the better, however hard we may have been hit, particularly in the last few years, by some very tough economic crises: we have gone through five years of negative growth very recently. But, despite that, Galicia still prospers. While there is still a lot to do, that is something for the future. What is true is that Galicia prospers and it does so because of the talent, effort, courage, hard work and determination of so many Galicians, but also because there has been an institutional framework in both Spain and in Galicia that has allowed this to happen.

Galicia has been a true success story of our State model of regions over the last 35 years. I cannot share the theories of those who call everything into question, of those who say that nothing ever changes here, of those who are incapable of seeing the world with a certain objectivity and of those who only see what is wrong. Whilst it is true that there are things that are not right, and many of them, and that we must improve this, we should not forget that there are few places in the world that have the same base to work from as we do.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This base is a collective achievement of all the people of Galicia, resulting from a shared interest and from a joint effort. This same spirit is what we need to continue forging this success story, both here and in the rest of Spain.

Galicia has everything going for it to be a 21st Century success story. It is in Spain, it is in Europe, where 25% of the world's wealth can be found, a space where democracy, liberty and human rights are firmly entrenched; a region where a welfare model exists with certain public services that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

Galicia has a unique cultural and natural heritage, an active civil society, and a dynamic business fabric which is already internationalised, and it has found a way to respect its traditions and maintain its identity while championing the idea of modernity, openness, quality of life, dynamism and international projection.

What we must do now is continue working so as to never lose ground. The future is increasingly close, it is increasingly fast-moving and in constant flux, and we must all strive to find a better future. We must work with our customary loyalty and with the efficacy we all want to see, and from my position of responsibility as the President of the Government, I am at the service of the people of Galicia and of their institutions.

Mr President of the Regional Government of Galicia,

Congratulations and good luck. It is a true honour to be here and speak today.

Thank you very much.