View source for Anxo Quintana

{{Short description|Spanish politician}}
{{Infobox Politician
| honorific-prefix    = 
| name                = Anxo Quintana
| honorific-suffix    = 
| image               = Anxo Quintana2.jpg
| imagesize           = 
| office              = 7th Vice President of the Xunta de Galicia
| leader              = 
| term_start          = August 2, 2005
| term_end            = April 20, 2009
| predecessor         = [[Alberto Núñez Feijóo]]
| successor           = [[Alfonso Rueda]]
| office2             = [[Spanish Senate|Spanish Senator]]
| leader2             = 
| term_start2         = 2000
| term_end2           = 2005
| predecessor2        = 
| successor2          = 
| office3             = [[Allariz|Mayor of Allariz]]
| leader3             = 
| term_start3         = 1989
| term_end3           = 1999
| predecessor3        = Leopoldo Pérez Camba
| successor3          = Francisco García Suárez
| birth_date          = {{Birth date and age|1959|02|25|df=yes}}
| birth_place         = Allariz, [[Ourense (province)|Ourense]], [[Spain]]
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| nationality         = [[Spain|Spanish]]
| spouse              = Cristina Cid
| party               = [[Bloque Nacionalista Gallego]]
| relations           = 
| children            = 2
| residence           = 
| alma_mater          = [[University of Santiago de Compostela]]
| occupation          = [[Nurse]]
| profession          = 
| religion            = 
| signature           = 
| website             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}

{{family name hatnote|Quintana|González|lang=Spanish}}
'''Anxo Manuel Quintana González''', commonly known as '''Anxo Quintana''', is the former leader of the [[Galician Nationalist Bloc]] (''Bloque Nacionalista Galego'', BNG), the main [[Galician nationalism|nationalist]] party in [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]. From 2005 to 2009 he was a partner in the [[Xunta de Galicia|Galician Government]], holding the positions of [https://web.archive.org/web/20080912155447/http://vicepresidencia.xunta.es/index.php Vice-President] and Minister for Social Affairs.

Quintana was born in [[Allariz]], [[Ourense Province]], on February 25, 1959. After graduating in [[Nursing]] at the [[University of Vigo]] he worked at the ''Cristal Piñor Hospital'' in [[Ourense]]. He has been distinguished with an honorary award from the Society of General Medicine for his work in primary healthcare in rural communities.

{{Politics of Galicia}}

==Political career==
As a politician, he started working with the rural nationalist [[trade unionism]] in his youth. He has been a member of the Galician Nationalist Bloc since its foundation in 1982.

Quintana rose to national prominence in 1989, when he was appointed as [[Mayor]] of [[Allariz]], and remained so until 2000, winning local elections with a clear overall majority. During his terms, the small [[municipality]] of Allariz was awarded the [[European Prize of Urbanism]] and it was chosen by the [[United Nations]] as one of the leading communities on [[sustainable development]]. From 1995 to 2000 Quintana was also chair of the [[Galician Federation of Provinces and Municipalities]] [http://www.fegamp.org].

In 1999, he was appointed by the [[Parliament of Galicia]] as senator in the [[Senado|Spanish Senate]] as the sole representative of the BNG. He eventually had to leave his municipal office in 2000 due to clashes with his new role as senator. In 2003 he replaced charismatic [[Xosé Manuel Beiras]] in the leadership of BNG.

Following the 2005 Galician elections and subsequent political pacts with the [[Socialists' Party of Galicia]] (PSdG), Quintana became Vice-President of Galicia, serving until 2009. He also held responsibilities as ''Conselleiro'' (Minister) for Social Affairs. Quintana expressed that some of his main goals during his term were:

* Promotion of [[Galician language]] and culture
* Extending social services to all citizens, with a special attention to women as a disadvantaged group
* Achieving the official recognition from the Spanish government of Galicia as a [[nation]]
* Reform of the [[Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981|Statute of Autonomy]]
* Re-negotiating tax revenues from the [[Spanish government|Spanish central government]] in order to endorse Galicia with more financial resources

==Controversy==
During his time in the Galician Government, Quintana came under criticism from within the ranks of BNG as he was being accused of trying to centralize all powers, thus reducing the influence of the assemblies and the average party member. This criticism and claims for "transparency and internal democracy" resulted in the formation of two parallel organizations within the party: the ''Encontro Irmandinho'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20120904143751/http://www.encontroirmandinho.org/] (led by former BNG president [[Xosé Manuel Beiras]]), and the ''Movemento Pola Base'' [https://archive.today/20121220043300/http://www.polabase.net/].
At present Quintana has withdrawn from the political front line although remains a member of the party and occasionally features in the daily press.

==See also==
* [[Galician nationalism]]
* [[Galician Nationalist Bloc]]
* [[Xunta de Galicia]]

==References==
* Barreiro, H. et al. (2002): "A Galicia política e o nacionalismo do BNG", in ''Tempos Novos'', no. 59, p.&nbsp;24-33
* Beramendi, J.G. (2003): "Fin de ciclo no BNG? : Beiras desafía a hexemonía da UPG", in ''Tempos novos'', p.&nbsp;48-50

==External links==
* [http://www.quin.tv "Quin TV"], multimedia portal of Anxo Quintana
* [https://web.archive.org/web/19991011050019/http://www.bng-galiza.org/ Official site of the BNG]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080912155447/http://vicepresidencia.xunta.es/index.php Vicepresidencia da Xunta de Galiza], official site of the Office of the Vice-President of Galicia

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Quintana, Anxo}}
[[Category:1959 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Allariz – Maceda]]
[[Category:Galician Nationalist Bloc politicians]]
[[Category:Mayors of places in Galicia]]
[[Category:University of Vigo alumni]]
[[Category:Members of the 7th Parliament of Galicia]]
[[Category:Members of the 8th Parliament of Galicia]]