PERE Sampol handed away final Friday on the age of 73.
Affectionately generally known as the ‘Man of Montuïri,’ he was a talented digital engineer, although he gained far higher recognition all through the Balearic Islands as a sharp-tongued parliamentarian and spokesperson for the Socialist Celebration of Mallorca.
Above all, Pere was famend for his eloquence and biting sarcasm. Through the 1995–1999 legislature, he served on the Island Council of Mallorca, and within the following time period (1999–2003), he was appointed Vice President of the Balearic Authorities and Minister of Financial system, Commerce, and Trade underneath the so-called Progress Pact.
Though he stepped away from regional politics in 2006, he quickly took the leap to the nationwide stage. In July 2007, following a coalition settlement between PSOE, Bloc per Mallorca, and Unió Mallorquina, he was appointed regional senator for the Balearic Islands.
His work was rapidly recognised: simply six months into his mandate, the Affiliation of Parliamentary Journalists (APP) named him Senator of the 12 months, alongside Dionisio García Carnero (PP), Patricia Hernández Gutiérrez (PSOE), and Javier Maqueda (PNV).
Within the 2008 basic election, Sampol ran for the Congress of Deputies on the nationalist Unitat per les Illes ticket.
His passing, after an extended sickness, coincided with a dramatic energy outage throughout a lot of Spain—a poignant reminder of one in every of Sampol’s most memorable political battles. As Vice President, he as soon as imposed a landmark advantageous on Endesa following essentially the most extreme blackout Mallorca had ever skilled.
The outage occurred in June 2000, on the primary anniversary of the Progress Pact, when a brief circuit on the Llubí substation plunged all of Mallorca and a part of Menorca into darkness. A yr later, Sampol introduced a document advantageous of 100 million pesetas (roughly €600,000 on the time, later adjusted to over €1 million) in opposition to Gesa, an Endesa subsidiary, holding it accountable for negligence and insufficient infrastructure.
Although the Progress Pact was usually criticised for its lack of political expertise, Sampol was undeterred. He publicly accused Endesa of “negligence,” blamed the chaos squarely on the corporate, and mocked its audacity for sending him inflated payments regardless of its personal failings. “Endesa had plenty of face,” he quipped—a phrase roughly translating to “some nerve” in English.
The corporate, chaired by Bartolomé Reus, rejected the allegations and threatened authorized motion. Sampol was unmoved. As a substitute, he referred to as on affected residents and companies to sue the utility for damages, reinforcing his popularity as a daring and combative public servant.
It was one in every of his most forceful acts as deputy to President Francesc Antich and a defining second of his political profession.
The conservative Partido Standard, then and now, would by no means have dared difficulty such a stern rebuke—regardless of even Jaume Matas grumbling over Reus’s sky-high wage.
In occasions just like the latest blackout, we’re reminded how a lot we’d like leaders like Pere Sampol—principled, fearless, and unafraid to talk fact to energy.
