The political excitement of a freethinker

When someone we love dies, we are overcome with deep sorrow. We feel even more alone. That's the feeling I harbor now when I write something I didn't want to write. I would have given anything not to have to: my final farewell to Javier Lambán, former president of the Aragon government .

He'd known for a long time that his life was ebbing away. So had the rest of us, but we pretended not to. Perhaps we naively hoped for a stroke of luck, a surprise, a last hope that would restore his health, but that wasn't the case.

He died as he lived. He faced his end with discretion, naturally, with the same fortitude and courage he had demonstrated throughout his life . And he died with his boots on. Despite knowing the severity of his ailments, which led to a visible physical deterioration that he himself didn't consider important, he continued until his last breath giving interviews, publishing articles—the last one he sent to HERALDO a few days before his death—and participating in social media with his usual frankness and clarity. His spirit was admirable.

I remember our heated and heated arguments. The relationship I had as an independent newspaper editor with a politician of Javier's stature and responsibility wasn't always easy. It was the classic stormy relationship between the Press and Power . He acted as a socialist, and I as a liberal. We defended our ideas vehemently, and sometimes even provocatively, but we always felt enormous consideration, affection, and loyalty . And at the same time, as an Aragonese, I felt very proud to see in other editors in our country, even in politicians with different ideologies than Javier, the affection and recognition they felt for his nobility, consistency, and courage.

Despite our differences and coming from different worlds, we shared respect and admiration for the democratic transition, that political marvel that allowed Spain to consolidate a state of law cemented in the 1978 Constitution , undoubtedly the best our country has ever had. This Fundamental Law united us seamlessly because it enshrined the rights and freedoms of the Spanish people, strengthened the unity of Spain and equality among its citizens, established the parliamentary monarchy, championed national solidarity and coexistence, and established a clear separation of powers.

He was president of Aragon for eight years. Surely the best of his political career, although also the most difficult; but this suited his vehement and passionate personality. While other colleagues preferred submission to discussion, silence to debate, or obedience where critical thinking was possible, Javier, a cultured historian and a pure freethinker, did not yield and always spoke his mind.

From the outset, he was uncompromising and tough; for example, against the amnesty granted to the Catalan coup plotters , against the pacts reached with the Catalan independence movement and with Bildu out of sheer ambition for power, or against the new, one-off funding for our neighboring region. And he did so because he knew they undermined the essential core of the Constitution and, therefore, the coexistence and harmony among Spaniards.

As a true social democrat, he yearned for the responsible PSOE that made the Transition possible, and he was uncomfortable with the direction taken by the party's current leadership, which he accused of putting partisan interests before those of the state. He felt it was no longer possible to dissent, argue, or express an opinion that contradicted the official line of reasoning and the single-minded approach. But Javier, neither by character, nor by training, nor by career, nor by principles, was prepared to accept this situation. He was always a man faithful to his values. That was one of his main virtues, and he would not renounce it at the end of his life.

Unamuno said: "I haven't changed. It's all of you who have." That was exactly right. A man who practiced tolerance and respect throughout his life. A man who made institutional loyalty one of his main political banners. He declared himself a pure republican, but because of that loyalty, sorely lacking in other autonomous communities, he was able to appreciate the fundamental role that the parliamentary monarchy plays in our democracy ; and he even forged a good friendship with King Felipe VI, with whom he maintained regular contact.

I will always be deeply grateful to both Javier and the King for the absolute support they gave me on the occasion of the World Editors Congress we held in Zaragoza in the fall of 2022, which I managed to bring to our city when I was president of that organization.

I can never repay Javier Lambán for his cordiality and personal affection, nor can I thank him enough for the complicity he forged with me as Aragonese in defending the interests of our land. That's why I 've always admired his tenacity, carried to the ultimate consequences, in putting the interests of Aragon above all others.

Our Community has lost a man of integrity, honorable, upright, and admirable tenacity. He will go down in history as a great regional president. I have lost a good friend whom I will never forget. He was a man of whom it could be said what very few deserve: "If we had fifteen more like him, Spanish politics would be much better and more dignified." Rest in peace.