Seville holds funeral for Luis Uruñuela, first mayor of Spain's democracy, as two-day mourning declared

Funeral service

Luis Uruñuela, who served as Seville's mayor from 1979 to 1983 as the city's first elected leader after the Franco dictatorship, was buried on Saturday, August 1, at San Fernando cemetery. A funeral mass began at 9:30 a.m. at the SE-30 funeral home, with mourners arriving from 9:00 a.m. His children, grandchildren, other relatives and a few dozen close associates attended the ceremony. Among notable figures present were Luis Rojas-Marcos, the historic leader of the Partido Andalucista and mayor of Seville from 1991 to 1995; Pilar González Modino, former secretary general of that party; and Pilar Távora, an andalucista figure and artist. A hearse adorned with wreaths from the family, the Seville City Council, current mayor José Luis Sanz, the Hermandad de Los Negritos and other entities transported the coffin to the cemetery. A cortege of several dozen people followed in silence.

Political trajectory

Born in Seville in 1937, Uruñuela earned a law degree and practised as a lawyer while teaching administrative law at the University of Seville. In 1965, he co-founded Compromiso Político de Andalucía alongside Alejandro Rojas-Marcos, an initiative that would later evolve into the Partido Socialista de Andalucía (PSA) and eventually the Partido Andalucista, dissolved in 2015. In the first democratic municipal elections in 1979, the PSA, the PSOE and the PCE formed a pact to install left-wing mayors in Andalusian capitals, making Uruñuela mayor despite the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) winning the most votes. He took office on 21 April 1979, stepping down from his seat in the national Congress, where he had been elected that same year. He later served as a regional deputy in the Parliament of Andalusia from 1982 to 1990 and was credited with advancing Andalusia's autonomy. After leaving politics, he co-founded and for many years directed the Centro Español de Nuevas Profesiones, a private educational institution of reference in Andalusia.

Urban legacy

During his mayoral term (1979–1983), Uruñuela faced severe financial constraints and political turbulence, with a series of council resignations and dismissals. Nevertheless, he backed the continuity of the Seville Metro works as a strategic bet for the future. He also halted demolitions to protect historical heritage and promoted urban expansion that shaped the city's later growth, notably the development of the Polígono Aeropuerto area (now Sevilla Este). The current mayor, José Luis Sanz, described him as a key driver of Seville's growth, with the opening of new neighbourhoods during his years in office.

He leaves an example of life and a man of the city.

Tributes from across the spectrum

The Seville City Council declared two days of official mourning, with the city flag lowered to half-mast from midnight on Saturday. Former mayor Antonio Muñoz (2022–2023) said Uruñuela was "an essential figure of our history and a noble way of understanding politics: from vocation, honesty, dialogue and respect for those who thought differently." Juan Espadas, who served as mayor from 2015 to 2021, recalled him as a leader who "converted the aspirations for freedom of his time into the first pillars of the recovery of local autonomy for Seville" and stressed he was "sensitive to the tremendous social needs of the city at that moment."

Juan Ignacio Zoido (2011–2015) called him "faithful to his ideas, a deep believer in democracy and, above all, a coherent politician" and "a person of exquisite treatment, generous with those of us who succeeded him as mayor." Javier Fernández, president of the Diputación of Seville, described Uruñuela as "a convinced municipalist" whose effort and dedication were "key to understanding the Seville we know today."