Chapter 6 Chapter 5

·Boundless future · Unexplained dismissal ·Sharp swords and dark arrows "Samaranche, get out" After the Helsinki Olympic Games, Samaranch asked for leave to return to Barcelona to take stock of the family property. Francisco once again persuaded Samaranch to run Samaranch Co., Ltd. wholeheartedly, but Samaranch did not follow his father's advice.Since he devoted himself to politics, he has deeply experienced the stimulation and charm of politics, especially this time he took the team to Helsinki to participate in the Olympic Games, which made him soberly realize that only when he has the power in his hands can he thoroughly implement his ideas.Samaranch knew that, with his talent and strong family assets, he would be able to shine in Spanish politics.Samaranch was waiting for his chance.

The opportunity came. In April 1952, the new governor of Barcelona, ​​Lippe Acedo, took office and decided to reform the work of the Barcelona municipal government.He is quite displeased with the mayor of Barcelona, ​​Antonio Cimaro.Cimarro, a law professor, was appointed mayor of Barcelona a few months before Acedo took office.One of Simaro's mantras is "I hope nothing happens and I'm safe and sound."Because of the background behind Simaro, Acedo has nothing to do with him.But Acedo is determined to quickly perform an operation on the Barcelona city government to add fresh blood and change the lifeless situation of the city government.He tasked Cimaro with re-electing some city officials.

After hearing the news, Samaranch decided to stand up and apply for the election.He and Acedo only met once, and that was when Acedo participated in the presentation of the World Roller Hockey Championship trophy to the Spanish team at the Granville Stadium in June last year.Prior to this, Acedo had called Samaranch to ask for a ticket.Samaranch believes that if he can enter the municipal government, it will not only benefit his own future, but also help the development of sports in Barcelona and Spain. On October 12, Samaranch wrote a letter to Acedo. In just a few lines, he officially expressed to Acedo his hope to participate in the election of city government officials in November.The words at the end of the letter read: "God will bless you for many years for the good of Spain."

Acedo's original intention was also to select one or two sports talents to cheer up the dull atmosphere in Barcelona.But he had just arrived and was unfamiliar with the place, so he had to let Cimaro choose a few people, and the name Samaranch was not among them. It didn't take long for Acedo to discover that his original intention had not been realized.In a report to his superiors, he wrote: "The newly elected people do not have the expected ability, especially the leaders of the union. I do not deny that this is my failure. I originally hoped to provide Mayor Cimaro with a few people he fully believed in, Not to cause him any trouble. But Cimaro, greedy for comfort and looking for only a few obedient and conscientious collaborators, ended up recommending a bunch of incompetent, slack, personalityless good boys."

Samaranch is not among these "nice boys". As Acedo expected, the "good boys" did not bring new life to Barcelona.However, Acedo did not forget Samaranch. At the end of 1954, Samaranch was finally elected as a member of the municipal government, responsible for the administration of the third district.To be honest, this is not what he hoped for.Samaranch hopes to be in charge of the city's sports work.At the time the work was in the hands of Deputy Mayor Pena Cardenal. In June 1955, Cardenal was dismissed by Acedo due to his disagreement with Acedo on some political issues, and Samaranch successfully took over the sports work in Barcelona.But Samaranch was not satisfied with it, and he aimed his next goal at the Barcelona Parliament.

At that time, Mr. Puighevert, director of the Sports Committee of the Barcelona Provincial Council, was a close friend of Samaranch's father.One day, Samaranch went to visit the old man and talked about some sports work by the way.During the conversation, Samaranch expressed his desire to enter the Barcelona Provincial Council.It's all about the development of Spanish sport, he explained.The development of sports requires more financial budget and political space.And according to regulations, the Barcelona city government can have two officials into the provincial council. After learning about Samaranch's wishes, Puighevert picked up the phone and called the homes of several important figures in the Barcelona Provincial Council.Ten minutes later, he told Samaranch:

"You are already a member of the provincial assembly for Barcelona." After entering the provincial council, Samaranch devoted almost all of his body and mind to sports.He actively supported the development of sports activities in Spain and expanded the scope of sports activities, and his work appeared to be fruitful. Soon, Samaranch got acquainted with the newly appointed director of the Spanish Sports Commission, Jose Antonio Elora Olaso, and their common courage made the two hit it off.Orasso decided to invite Samaranch to be his representative in Catalonia.Samaranch naturally helped with all his strength.

Only a few months later, Olaso discovered that the sports budget of the Barcelona city government had indeed increased.At the same time Orasso also received a letter from Samaranch.The letter reads: "I hope this gift (an increase in the sports budget of the City of Barcelona) will be the best news you have ever received. You deserve it. Not only because of the position you hold, but also because of your commitment to Spanish sport. Hard work has gone into the development of the sport." Orasso praised Samaranch in his reply, telling him: "I have written to the mayor of Cimaro, thanking him for increasing the sports budget. I have also written to the mayor of Madrid, telling the city of Barcelona that this action has become one of the city's examples in many matters."

The close cooperation between Samaranch and Orasso made them close friends.They trust each other and talk about almost everything. In 1965, Olaso was ill and needed an operation.Orasso was worried that he would not be able to pass this test due to his old age and infirmity. When making his will, the first notary he thought of was Samaranch. Olaso survived the ordeal unscathed, but still felt powerless after recovering.He proposed to the Spanish Parliament that the post of director of the Spanish Sports Council be handed over to Samaranch. But Olaso's proposal was opposed by Mariano Calvinino, and the handover ceremony, originally scheduled for November 25, 1966, was postponed.

Calvinino is an important think tank in the regional government of Catalunya.He has never held any political office except occasional partisan involvement.However, he has a wide range of power and deep roots, and many important decisions, even the appointment of the governor, must be discussed with him in advance. He is an important behind-the-scenes figure in the Catalonia region. Calvinino was originally a friend of Maria's father, but Maria was still a little girl at that time, and Calvinino still remembers her today.Samaranch respected Calvinino and called him "Uncle Mariano".But he didn't expect that this "uncle" would hinder his appointment.Samaranch understood that Calvinino might have other considerations.Although the director of the sports committee is a sports official, it is also a way for political career.

This time Calvinino failed.More people spoke up and recommended Samaranch.A marquis said: "Samaranche does not show off himself at all. He is frank with others, and everyone who has come into contact with him praises him. He also often handed over the canopy. Once he went hunting with us, or to I borrowed a shotgun and killed a large deer with 18 horns on the first day." On January 10, 1967, Samaranch officially took office.Speaking at the handover ceremony, Orasso said: "The greatest satisfaction in my life is that the void I have left has been filled by my close friend and brilliant collaborator, Juan Antonio Samaranch. I trust him completely and know his wisdom, his excellence talent and how much he loves sport and Spain." Not long before, Samaranch also experienced the most important turning point in his life - on April 27, 1966, Samaranch was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee. Samaranch's career is in full swing. However, Samaranch never expected that 4 years later, on September 3, 1970, he was suddenly dismissed from the post of director of the Spanish Sports Commission and was replaced by Juan Sic. Samaranch is highly respected in Barcelona, ​​and is even more popular in the sports and journalism circles.At first people did not believe this fact.For a time, Samaranch became the main talking point in Barcelona and the European Swimming Championships held in Barcelona in early September. Regarding the reason for Samaranch's dismissal, there is no clear explanation so far, only some speculations. Some people say that during his three years in office, Samaranch made Spanish sports more colorful. Newspapers, radio, and television often reported on it, and Samaranch's reputation grew day by day.But on several occasions when he invited government leaders to participate in activities such as the Mediterranean Games, he did not communicate with some powerful organizations and figures in advance, which made some dignitaries grieve.These people have long wanted to "fix" Samaranch, and his resignation may have been done behind the scenes by these people. Some people also said that Samaranch was a victim of partisan disputes at that time, and others said that Calvinino did something wrong. What exactly is still a question mark. After that, Samaranch spent a period of time in frustration and at a loss.He has a lot of energy but nowhere to go, and he doesn't understand why he ended up like this.Friends advised him: they kicked you out of one job, but there were others.You lose a game, pick yourself up, and we'll play again.A smart loser should not blame the referee and the opponent, but think about the future, and don't always have trouble with the referee and the opponent.You're also on a lot of boards, you're the president of the Barcelona International Sailing Salon, you're a member of the International Olympic Committee, that's a lot, really. If, before that, Samaranch believed that he entered politics to further develop Spanish sports, or use sports to justify his political goals, then now he has begun to doubt whether politics and sports can be separated.Sports should develop in an international direction.As for politics, why waste time on that?Isn't simply engaging in sports activities also won the love of the people? On October 1, 1970, the fourth week after being dismissed, Samaranch flew to Lausanne to serve as the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee.Before leaving, he met Manuel Bichir Vazquez, a reporter from Barcelona's "Journal Ultimate", and he said that he would not sink into it.He also said that in those days he had received hundreds of letters praising his achievements during his leadership of the Spanish Sports Council.He replied to all the letters one by one.This is Samaranch's consistent approach, because he knows that indifference to other people's care is equal to losing the support of others. Samaranch did not stop his social activities.The Barcelona International Nautical Salon has become a stage for him to show his talents. In 1961, Samaranch initiated and established the International Nautical Salon in Barcelona, ​​but at that time his main energy was spent on the International Roller Hockey Association and the Barcelona Provincial Council, and he seldom patronized the Nautical Salon he established.Samaranch, who has been frustrated in the officialdom, has returned to the sailing club. He is determined to vigorously promote international sailing sports and use his actions to show the bureaucrats who dismissed him that I, Samaranch, have the ability to drive any sport to an international direction. develop!Samaranch quickly established extensive contacts with domestic and foreign ship manufacturers, businessmen and sailing clubs, and the area of ​​the sailing salon expanded from 4,000 square meters to 40,000 square meters.The salon is full of celebrities, even the prince of Spain and the president of the International Olympic Committee, Killanin, often visit this place.The International Nautical Salon occupies an important place in Barcelona's social scene. In 1972, Samaranch was elected president of the International Nautical Salon Association.This seat not only inspired Samaranch's spirit, but also increased the popularity of Barcelona.Samaranch once excitedly said to a friend: "Barcelona should be made the capital of sailing." As the leader of international sailing sports, Samaranch himself does not have a yacht. "It costs money to buy a yacht, and it has to be maintained and looked after. So the best way is to be invited to sail as a guest." Samaranch often said this.He has only one small rowing boat himself, and he used this small rowing boat to participate in the local friendly match.Obviously, Samaranch is definitely not unable to afford a yacht, but because his ultimate goal has already gone far beyond sailing. 1973 was a year of luck for Samaranch.The mayor of Barcelona is about to be re-elected, and the term of Barcelona Speaker Muriel de Avadar has expired.Various newspapers and magazines held public opinion polls one after another, listing the candidates for the new mayor and new speaker.All lists have Samaranch's name, and the position is very high. Samaranch is also active in various political, economic, social and sports occasions, and he wants to make a comeback!Many people understand him and many citizens support him, why doesn't he stand up again?Former Barcelona governor Tomas Garricano Goni is now Spain's interior minister, and Peratallada, who previously worked with Samaranch in Barcelona's city government, is now the city's secretary general , Why should I stand idly by? Soon, Spanish Speaker Rodriguez de Barcacel invited Samaranch and several others to dinner in Madrid.De Balcasser inquired whether Samaranch was willing to serve as the chairman of the Barcelona City Council.Samaranch was slightly surprised.He was originally interested in the seat of mayor of Barcelona.Perhaps another candidate for the position of mayor has been selected, or it may be that Samaranch followed the advice of several friends present and believed that the future of the mayor of Barcelona would be more brilliant, so he accepted De Barcassel's proposal. On May 23, the "People's Daily" published the news that Rodriguez de Barcacel had appointed Samaranch as the Speaker of the Barcelona City Council in a prominent position. But there is one thing that "People's Daily" did not publish, that is, the departure time of the former Speaker of the City of Barcelona, ​​Muriel de Avadar, was postponed.One of his sons is getting married, and de Avadar will host his wedding during his tenure.Poor parents all over the world!Samaranch has no objection to this, and he also hopes to schedule his appointment on July 17 - his birthday, and I hope this day will bring him good luck. However, God also has a nap time. The good luck has not yet come, but the bad news has come one after another.On the day of de Avadar's son's wedding, several items in the newspaper caused Samaranch to feel uneasy.The first message said "Goney is fired and replaced by Arias Navarro".Gony is a close friend of Samaranch, who was the Minister of the Interior of Spain before he was dismissed; Navarro was the mayor of Madrid and had opinions on Samaranch because of his bid for the Olympic Games, and the Minister of the Interior still occupies a certain position in the cabinet. Another piece of news was even more ominous: "Torquato as Deputy Prime Minister".Torcuato, the Torcuato who personally signed the order to dismiss the director of the Samaranch Sports Commission, has become the Deputy Prime Minister of Spain! The third message appears to be evasive: "Samaranch will be appointed Speaker of Barcelona". "will be appointed"?That is to say not yet appointed. In the next few days, Samaranch spent his time in anxiety.Muriel's departure ceremony was not held, and other officials took office one after another, even the little-known Enrique Masso Vazquez was officially appointed as the mayor of Barcelona on May 17.Some people are quietly active in private, coveting the position of Speaker of Barcelona.Muriel was supposed to deliver a farewell speech at the plenary session of Barcelona's parliament in June, but he was informed.Let's not make a farewell speech for now.While acknowledging that his mission is coming to an end, Muriel said that "naturally, I would like to continue to lead the Barcelona Coin Council".The press believes that the Barcelona Council is now only facing the issue of succession, and revisits the old account of Samaranch being dismissed by Torcuato. It seems that the final decision can only be made by the top Spanish.Samaranch inquired about the news through some friends.After a while, Samaranch's two heavenly friends, Porta and Miranda, came from Torquato's words: "You tell him, don't worry, no one will dismiss him from the position that has not been appointed." Soon Navarro also called to inform Samaranch that he had been appointed Speaker of the Barcelona Parliament and the inauguration ceremony would be held in Madrid on July 12.Perhaps it was too superstitious, and his past misfortunes were still fresh in his memory.He asked for the inauguration to be postponed until July 17.Navarro agreed. Samaranch was sworn in as the head of the Barcelona City Council on the day he turned 53.Since then, Samaranch has arranged many important events on July 17, his birthday. Samaranch is always a caring person.He never forgot the role of the press.Public opinion can sometimes play a decisive role, and many officials fear and hate journalists but cannot afford to provoke them.Samaranch believes that instead of avoiding, it is better to take the initiative to do the work.15 days before taking office, Samaranch officially inspected all newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations in Barcelona.For a while, the press published various reports and comments on the Barcelona Parliament, and the city government seemed to be dwarfed by comparison. Samaranch has always attached great importance to the public opinion circle, because he himself has been a special reporter of "News", and he knows that the role of public opinion tools sometimes even exceeds political high pressure and open guns and dark knives.He deeply understands that it is far from enough to rely on his own strength, and he must mobilize and master more reporters to give full play to the role of news tools.Especially after serving as the director of the Spanish National Sports Committee, he paid more attention to using newspapers, radio stations, and television stations as a means of exercising his rights.According to his own experience of writing articles for "News", Samaranch specially organized 19 reporters, and each reporter was responsible for a sports event. In this way, all sports were evenly promoted, and the overall publicity also caused There was a momentum.Of course, these journalists received some financial assistance in addition to their salaries. Samaranch did not keep away from reporters like others, but approached them proactively, contacted them, and made them feel that he was their friend. One day in 1955, Samaranch even said to some reporters: "You'll see how much I love being a journalist and I'm going to marry a journalist soon." This is a pun.In Spanish, the word "married" also means "to get along".Not only is he talking about love, but he is also flirting with the journalist profession. Samaranch was indeed married to a journalist, Maria, but Maria was not technically a journalist.She only took a journalism school and published several articles in newspapers and magazines. Samaranch was originally a caring person, and he cared even more for the reporters. Although a reporter from the "Tribune" had never met Samaranch, when the reporter got married, he unexpectedly received a silver plate sent by Samaranch.When Samaranch goes out, he often invites several journalists to accompany him, and all expenses are paid by Samaranch.In this way, on the one hand, the whereabouts of Samaranch can be reported, and on the other hand, it creates an opportunity for several reporters to travel.In normal times, Samaranch always gave the reporters some souvenirs such as tie cards, briefcases and medals.Although things are small, their effects are often inestimable. Due to Samaranch's character and prestige, many people asked him to be the godfather of their children.Many of Samaranch's godsons later became journalists.For these godsons, Samaranch is even more caring.Whenever they celebrate their birthdays, they will definitely receive a strange gift from Samaranch - some knives and forks and other tableware.The quantities of these items are precisely calculated, and when the godsons reach the legal age of 18, they will form a complete set of luxurious tableware. Samaranch knows journalists well.He knew the living habits of the journalists, their families, and even more about their economic situation.So Samaranch allocated a sum of money from the public expenditure of the Sports Committee to regularly subsidize a group of journalists.At that time, journalists from almost all major newspapers, radio and television stations in Spain received such subsidies. In the early 1960s, when members of the Barcelona International Nautical Salon had a dinner, Carlos Mendo, the press officer of the Spanish Embassy in the UK, complained that the quarantine laws in the UK were too strict, and his dog had been quarantined by the British health and quarantine agency for physical examination. It will be returned to him after 3 days. "It's been 3 days before I can see my dog." Carlos Mendo seemed devastated. Carlos Mendo did not expect his words to be remembered by Samaranch present.On the morning of the fourth day, Carlos Mendo opened the door and found a bag at the door.He opened it and saw it was a plastic bone with a note attached: "To your best friend Juan Antonio Samaranch" Samaranch's concern for journalists gave him the initiative in publicity. Some reports that were not conducive to Samaranch generally would not appear in the newspapers, especially during Samaranch's political career.After Samaranch became the chairman of the Barcelona City Council, some newspapers, such as "News", reported the main content of the newspaper to Samaranch by phone before it was printed and distributed every day.In this way, Samaranch often knows some important news before others, and if necessary, he is always the first to get where he should be. Samaranch introduced his experience to the International Olympic Committee.He personally intervened in many publicity reports.When visiting various countries, he always does not forget to set aside some time for reporters.He has made some friends in the press circles of various countries, and Samaranch will generally agree to their requests. Working with his father since he was a child, he has been influenced by what he has seen and heard, and he has learned various professional knowledge such as marketing and marketing in business school, which has enabled Samaranch to make great achievements in corporate management.Now, he has applied these management methods to parliamentary work.He reorganized committees within parliament, gave all MPs jobs and powers, and dramatically increased their salaries. In addition, he also managed to increase the wages of the leaders of the Barcelona union.The magnitude of the increase surprised even them themselves.It can be said that, in some respects, Samaranch has taken the city of Barcelona into his own hands. At the plenary session of the Barcelona Parliament held on August 1, Samaranch proposed the idea of ​​strengthening economic competition and establishing a special institution in Barcelona.In fact, the establishment of special institutions in Barcelona may be more important than strengthening economic competition. Samaranch did not forget the lessons learned three years ago.He thought he was too aggressive during that time.Everything should respect objective facts and adapt to local conditions, otherwise it will collapse sooner or later.If I want to gain a foothold in Barcelona, ​​I must first solve the problem of national sentiment.If you handle this problem well, you will be popular with everyone; if you don't handle it well, you will lose your reputation.It can be said that Samaranch walked on a tightrope during his years as the mayor of Barcelona. Spain's ethnic minorities are mainly Catalan, Galician and Basque people, distributed in the northeast, northwest and northern regions.The official language of Spain is Spanish, but in various minority areas, Spanish and the minority language are often used together.Barcelona is located in the Catalonia region and is an important city in Catalonia.Therefore, it is inevitable that anyone who serves in Barcelona will encounter the Catalan national problem.Many officials often speak Catalan first and then Spanish in certain public occasions.The same is true for Samaranch. Even after he became the president of the International Olympic Committee, during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, Samaranch often spoke Catalan to reporters, and the results often left the reporters at a loss. . According to Western astrology, Samaranch was born with diplomatic talent.And what diplomats are best at is maneuvering.It should be said that Samaranch dealt well with the Catalan issue during his tenure as Speaker of Barcelona. January 26th is the anniversary of the liberation of Barcelona.On that day, Samaranch specially ordered someone to raise a Catalan flag next to the Spanish flag on the top of the Parliament building.At the same time, he revised the inscription on the monument to the fallen soldiers in front of the Capitol, changing the text commemorating the fallen soldiers of Catalonia to commemorating all the fallen soldiers of Spain. In the House of the Speaker he relocated a bust of Pratt de la Riva, President of the Catalan Community, with an inscription in Catalan script underneath: Great Men of Catalonia and Spain . Samaranch also, quite naturally, allowed the use of Catalan in the plenary sessions of the Parliament.He organized it carefully for this purpose.First, Samaranch learned the grammar and pronunciation of Catalan by himself, and then arranged for the mayor of Noguera and the Catalan representative to make a request to him in Catalan at the meeting, and then He answered very calmly in Catalan.Then another MP made a request in Spanish, and he responded in Spanish.Even the reporters present did not realize that this was a play.Samaranch thus tacitly agreed to use both languages ​​in Parliament, without revealing any flaws, without causing controversy and trouble.He has since allowed the naming of streets, shops, etc. in Catalan. Samaranch adopted a sensible conservation policy for Catalan culture, especially painting and sculpture.He made an agreement with all the galleries in Barcelona that, for all the Catalan painters participating in the exhibition, the Council would buy a work at a discounted price.This not only preserved a large number of excellent works, but also encouraged the creative enthusiasm of Catalunian painters. In terms of administration, Samaranch also has his own goals.He wanted to create a special system in Barcelona that would enable the Barcelona Assembly to function as an autonomous government of Catalonia.He hopes that in the province of Barcelona, ​​all ethnic groups can live in harmony and eventually establish a Datong society.To this end, he carefully studied the idea of ​​a community proposed by Pratt de la Riva, studied the "Regional Autonomy Act" of 1932, and combined with the actual situation, he drafted a "1977 Autonomy Act".However, this "Autonomous Law" was eventually shelved and never implemented. In December 1973, Spanish Prime Minister and Admiral Carrero Blanco was assassinated.For a time, Spain was shocked.Samaranch made a statement to the press, "Carrero Blanco is one of the greatest Spaniards of this century. His character represents the character that every good Spaniard should have." And, Samaranch Malanche immediately awarded Carrero Blanco posthumously the Gold Medal of the Barcelona Council and established the "Admiral Carrero Blanco Journalism Award" for "the development of the ideas of the murdered statesman". Arias Navarro took over as prime minister a month later.Navarro issued a reform plan called "February 12 Spirit" to the whole country.Samaranch agreed with this very much, so he formed the Spanish People's Union Party with several close friends.However, the current situation is turbulent. Samaranch believes that this plan is not feasible in Barcelona and has declined to serve as the head of the party in Catalonia. Although Samaranch did not realize his plan satisfactorily, compared with Barcelona Mayor Masso, his work is still fruitful.In particular, Samaranch's superb maneuvering skills made him the "best candidate for mayor" of Barcelona.Just two years into his tenure as speaker, Samaranch was called to Madrid where Arias Navarro suggested he be mayor of Barcelona.Samaranch quickly evaded with various reasons, saying that "the work has just begun", "I hope the work of the parliament will have a greater improvement", etc., but he did not give the real reason: under the circumstances at that time, being the mayor was equivalent to Go to the front line, and the speaker's seat is equivalent to staying in the rear. According to Samaranch himself, it was not his influential friends who saved him this time, but his wife Maria.Maria is quite eloquent, and like Samaranch, she is good at dealing with interpersonal relationships.On one occasion, at a lunch on the Pratt golf course, Maria deliberately sat next to Arias Navarro.As Samaranch's wife, she begged Navarro not to let Samaranch become the terrible mayor of Barcelona.Look at Maria's sad look, as if she is going to be a widow soon.Although Navarro was deeply surprised, he still took into account Maria's concerns and appointed a very unsatisfactory candidate, Joaquin Biola, as the mayor of Barcelona. Sure enough, Joaquin Biola stepped down just 16 months after becoming mayor of Barcelona in August 1975.Barcelona was going through a difficult period of instability, and Joaquín Biola's unpopularity and autocracy made him the target of protest marches. After Joaquin Biola was fired, Socias Humbert took over the mess.But Humbert saw the mystery.He made frequent contact with the opposition, stabilized the situation, and then turned his head and pointed the finger at Samaranch.Since then, the parade has gathered in front of the parliament building, and the slogan they shouted has become "Samaranche, get out!" At the end of 1975, the Spanish Parliament passed the Basic Law of Local Institutions.According to this "Basic Law", the speakers of the provincial assemblies are elected by the members of the provincial assemblies instead of being appointed by the Spanish Parliament as before.To this end, the Barcelona Provincial Council votes for a speaker.As far as Samaranch's prestige in the Provincial Assembly was concerned, no one could compare with him.So Samaranch became the only candidate. On January 8, 1976, he was elected President of the Barcelona Provincial Council for a four-year term.He is re-emerged as one of Barcelona's most promising leaders. At this time, the governor of Barcelona, ​​Martin Villa, was summoned by Prime Minister Arias Navarro to Madrid to study the selection of several cabinet ministers from the Catalonia region.Martin Villa immediately proposed Samaranch as Minister of Youth and Sports.Since Hic was dismissed from the post of director of the Spanish Sports Committee, Martin Villa has been considering looking for opportunities for Samaranch to be in charge of Spanish sports.Arias Navarro acknowledged Samaranch's talent and achievements in leading the sport.But that's the Ministry of Youth and Sports, and the work of the youth.If the youth part is transferred to other ministries and commissions in order to make full use of Samaranch's strengths, it will be necessary to change the structure of the ministries and commissions, and the action will appear to be a bit big.In the end he did not adopt Martin Villa's suggestion. In July 1976, Arias Navarro's "February 12 Spirit" reform plan failed.King Juan Carlos I appointed Adolfo Suarez as prime minister and tasked him with accelerating the pace of reforms.At the end of the year, Spain held a referendum in which the people chose the direction of the country's development.In July of the following year, the country held its first democratic general election in 36 years. The wave of democratic reform naturally spread to Barcelona.In order to adapt to this situation, Samaranch led the establishment of the Catalan Unity Party with reference to the form of the Cambo League, and introduced the "1977 Autonomy Law".He preached his ideas at various rallies.Before each speech, he would ask the crowd if they wanted him to speak in Catalan or Spanish.But the opposition did not pass up this opportunity.They proposed the restoration of the Catalan Parliament, and asked Tradellas to serve as its speaker, and rejected the "1977 Autonomy Act", insisting on the implementation of the "1932 Autonomy Act". The opposition and Barcelona Mayor Socias fueled the flames, and Barcelona was precarious.Demonstrations take place every week in San Jaime Square.Some journalists even made fun of COCA, the Spanish abbreviation of the Catalan Solidarity Party, calling it a cake. April 23, 1977 was San Jaime Day. 100,000 people gathered in San Jaime Square and held an unprecedented scale of demonstrations. The demonstrators chanted the slogan of "freedom, amnesty, autonomy".Mayor Socias received the organizers of the demonstration in his office.The demonstrators also demanded that Samaranch receive them.Samaranch ordered the guards to close the gates of the Capitol, and he was terrified. But the marching crowd refused to disperse.Film actor Pere Portabella even jumped on top of a car and took the lead in shouting through a megaphone: "Samaranche, get out!" This was the darkest moment in Samaranch's life.He had prevented the slogan from appearing in the pages of some of the most influential newspapers.But right now, thousands of people were shouting downstairs, wanting to drive him away.He was abandoned.He felt that his heart had been seriously injured and he was in great pain.Like an orphan in a strange world, he felt fear like never before.