Fernando Fernández Martín

Fernando Fernández Martín was born in Santa Cruz de La Palma on 29 May 1943. His public career unfolded within the framework of the autonomous institutions of the Canary Islands and later at the European level. On 30 July 1987, he was appointed President of the Government of the Canary Islands after being elected by the regional Parliament, following the procedure set out in the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands. This statute, in force since 16 August 1982, stipulates that the president is elected by the Parliament and appointed by the King, with responsibilities including the appointment of the vice president and councillors, directing and coordinating the government's actions, and representing the autonomous community. Fernández Martín assumed office within this institutional context, carrying out the functions assigned to the autonomous president from his appointment until his cessation.

Before becoming president, Fernández Martín was already active in the Canary Islands Parliament as a member of the Centro Democrático-CDS group. In December 1983 he questioned the finance minister about the deposits holding the autonomous community’s funds. In May 1984 he presented a motion on healthcare in the Canary Islands, following an earlier parliamentary question. His parliamentary work therefore addressed both financial and healthcare matters during the early years of the autonomous institutions. In his professional career, he was head of the Neurology Service at the Hospital Universitario de Canarias in 1992: a staff recruitment notice named him as a panel member for a post of associate physician in neurology. This medical responsibility was one part of a career combining healthcare, regional parliamentary representation and posts in European institutions.

Fernández Martín was president of the Canary Islands government from 1987 to 1989. The decree ending his term is dated 28 December 1988 and was published in the official state gazette on 3 January 1989. The office of President of the Government of the Canary Islands, as defined by the Statute of Autonomy, involves leading and coordinating the autonomous executive, representing the institution, and appointing government members, with the position not being filled by direct popular vote.

After his period in the regional government, Fernández Martín was active at the European level. He served as a Member of the European Parliament and, during the 2004–2009 legislature, was part of the Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) and European Democrats (EPP-ED), as well as the Partido Popular. In this period, he was a member of the European Parliament's Committee on Development, which deals with matters related to international cooperation and development. He also served as Vice-Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the Andean Community, participating in interparliamentary relations between the European Union and Andean countries. From 2007, he was also a member of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, a forum for dialogue between European and Latin American parliamentarians. These roles reflect his participation in European institutions and his involvement in international affairs, particularly in relations between Europe and Latin America.