Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín, the Socialist politician who governed Seville for 12 years, has died at the age of 69. Manuel Alés, who chairs Seville’s city council, announced the death on Monday, October 26, 2026, during a council session on tax bylaws. Councillors then held a minute’s silence. He had been in poor health since suffering a serious stroke in 2023.
Twelve years as mayor
Sánchez Monteseirín became mayor in 1999 through a pact with the Andalusian Party and won two more terms, governing until 2011 without an absolute majority. He was the longest-serving mayor of Seville in the democratic era and the city’s longest-serving mayor since the 19th century.
His time in office changed the face of the city. He backed the construction of Seville’s tram and a large network of cycle lanes, pedestrianised much of the historic centre, redeveloped the Alameda de Hércules and pushed through the Metropol Parasol, the wooden canopy known locally as Las Setas. His family later said the changes had to overcome “many resistances” but came to be recognised across the political spectrum.
Doctor and municipal leader
Born in La Rinconada, Seville, on September 25, 1957, he qualified in medicine and surgery at the University of Seville and worked as a medical inspector. He was a councillor in Burguillos from 1979 to 1987, president of the Seville provincial council from 1995 to 1999, and president of the Andalusian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces. He also served as the state’s special delegate to the Seville Free Trade Zone.
Final years
His illness kept him out of public life in his final years. In 2025 Seville awarded him its Gold Medal, which his wife, Felisa Tomás, accepted on his behalf. Party colleagues remembered him as “a humanist in the service of politics” and as the driving force behind “a modern and competitive Seville.”