Vicente Ruiz Monrabal

Who is Vicente Ruiz Monrabal?

Vicente Ruiz Monrabal was a Spanish lawyer and politician.

Ruiz qualified as a lawyer at the University of Valencia. During his time at University he became President of the Rural Catholic Youth group and a member of Young Catholic Action. In the 1960s he became involved with Christian democratic groups helping to found the Democratic Union of the Valencian Country in 1967 and becoming Secretary General of that group.

In the 1970s he was involved with meetings of the various anti-Franco groups which were operating in secret.

He headed the party list in Valencia Province at the 1977 General Election but was unsuccessful.

Shortly afterwards he joined the Union of the Democratic Centre and was elected to the Spanish Congress of Deputies for Valencia Province at the 1979 General Election, serving until 1982. Within the UCD he was one of those who argued for greater autonomy for the Valencian Community at a time when an internal conflict was underway within the UCD over the future status of the Valencian Community and the symbols to be used there. Consequently he spoke at party meetings in Spanish rather than Valencian in order to avoid being branded as "Catalanist."