Paulino Rivero Baute

Paulino Rivero was born in El Sauzal on 11 February 1952 and trained as a primary school teacher. His public career began at the municipal level, being elected mayor of El Sauzal in 1979. This initial position placed him in direct management of local affairs during a period of institutional change following the approval of the pre-autonomous regime in 1978. Rivero served as mayor in a context of political transition, where local administration played a significant role in articulating citizens' interests and managing basic services.

After his time as mayor, Rivero moved on to the Cabildo of Tenerife, the island institution responsible for administration and government. From 1983 to 1987, he served as a councillor in the opposition, participating in oversight of the island's management. From 1987, he assumed the vice-presidency of the Cabildo, taking on various executive responsibilities. Between 1987 and 1991, he was in charge of Personnel, Internal Affairs, and Sports, coordinating human resources, internal organization, and sports activities of the insular corporation. From 1991 to 1995, his work focused on Planning and Infrastructure, supervising territorial planning and infrastructure development in Tenerife. Finally, from 1995 to 1999, he was responsible for Presidency and Planning, participating in the general direction of the Cabildo and in defining institutional strategies.

In 1996, Rivero was elected as a deputy to the Spanish Congress of Deputies, representing his constituency in the lower house of the Spanish Parliament. During his time as a deputy, he acted as spokesperson for his parliamentary group and chaired the investigation committee on the 11 March 2004 attacks, directing the committee's work within the framework of parliamentary competencies. Additionally, within the party structure, he was elected president of Coalición Canaria in 1999, and was re-elected in 2002 and 2005, placing him at the head of the party's internal representation.

At the regional level, Rivero was the candidate for the presidency of the Government of the Canary Islands in 2007. Following the investiture session held on 11 July that year, he took office as president of the Government of the Canary Islands on 13 July 2007. In 2011, he was again invested as president on 4 and 5 July, and was officially appointed on 6 July of that year. Rivero remained at the head of the Canarian Executive until 2015, when his departure was formalised by Royal Decree on 8 July of that year. The Government of the Canary Islands, according to the 1982 Statute of Autonomy, is the institution that directs and coordinates the autonomous administration and represents the community. The president is elected by the Parliament of the Canary Islands and appointed by the King, with the authority to designate the vice-president and councillors. Rivero held this office for two full terms, within the institutional framework established by the current autonomous regulations. His career reflects a progression through different levels of public responsibility, from local to island, national, and regional, within the context of institutions established after the entry into force of the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands.