Manuel Estella

Estella's political career began in 1982, when he joined the People's Alliance (AP), which later became the People's Party (PP); from 1984 to 1992 he led the party in the Province of Salamanca.^[1] He was elected to the Cortes of Castile and León in the first regional election in 1983, and retained his seat until 2003.^[1] He remained a state lawyer until becoming president of the Cortes (speaker) in 1991.^[1] After leaving politics in 2003, he was a legal advisor to the Fundación Obra Social de Castilla y León [es].^[3]

In a 2007 interview, he said that he did not miss internal party politics, but did miss the presidency of the Cortes, describing it as "the most beautiful role there is".^[1]

In January 1983, Estella’s car was stolen from its garage by a gang who used it to steal 800,000 Spanish pesetas from a Banco Santander in Santa Marta de Tormes.^[4] His leisure interests included reading, golf and watching bullfights.^[1]

Estella died on 25 March 2026, at the age of 86.^[1] Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, the President of the Regional Government of Castile and León, remembered him as an "exemplary public servant and good friend".^[3]