José Luis Olivas, former president of the Generalitat Valenciana and ex-head of the major financial group Bancaja, has died at the age of 73. His death was officially announced by representatives of the autonomous community, who expressed their condolences to the politician’s family and friends.
Olivas served as president of the Valencian government from July 2002 to June 2003. He succeeded Eduardo Zaplana, and after his term, Francisco Camps took over leadership of the region. During his career in regional politics, Olivas rose from member of parliament to vice president of the regional government. From 1995 to 2003 he was a deputy, and from 1995 to 1999 served as regional minister (conseller). From 1999 to 2002, he held the post of vice president of the Consell.
Olivas also made a significant impact in the financial sector. He headed Banco de Valencia, served as chairman of Bancaja, and was vice president at Bankia. His name is closely linked to key phases in the development and transformation of the region’s banking sector.
Olivas’s political career began in the UCD, where he was one of the founders. In the early years after the restoration of democracy in Spain, he was elected to Valencia’s city council. Later, Olivas joined the Partido Popular (PP), where he once again became a municipal deputy and later held the positions of regional minister and party secretary-general.
