Leguina, Joaquín

b. 1941, Villaescusa (Santander)

   Politician, economist and writer

   After graduating in economics from Bilbao and taking higher degrees in Madrid and the Sorbonne, Leguina joined the socialist PSOE in 1977 and became MP for Madrid in 1982. The following year, he was elected president of the autonomous community of Madrid, a post he held for eight years. A member of the more critical section of the party, Leguina holds strong views on unemployment, drugs, crime and NATO, and has often been a controversial figure, while remaining basically loyal to the governmental programme of his long-time friend, Felipe González.

   See also: Guerra, Alfonso; socialism

   MICHAEL T. NEWTON