Josep Maria Trias de Bes, a longtime figure in Spanish politics, has died in Barcelona at 81. The Sant Gervasi funeral home confirmed his death and will receive visitors ahead of the ceremony scheduled for tomorrow, Saturday, September 12, 2026.
Born in Madrid in 1944 to a Barcelona family, Trias de Bes entered public life during the Franco era, first aligning with the PSUC. He trained as a lawyer and served as a deputy for Convergència i Unió (CiU) from 1980 to 1993, serving as secretary and later vice president of the Congress’s governing body.
La Vanguardia reported that Trias de Bes served as fourth secretary of the Spanish Congress from 1982 to 1989 and as fourth vice president from 1989 to 1993.
His political path took several sharp turns. After falling out with Jordi Pujol and leaving Convergència Democràtica (CDC), he led the Partido Popular’s Barcelona ticket in 1996 and won a seat in Congress. His time there was brief: the government of José María Aznar appointed him to lead the state-owned shipping company Trasmediterránea. He oversaw preparations for its privatization before stepping down in 1999.
Trias de Bes spent several years away from frontline politics. In 2009, he briefly joined Unión Progreso y Democracia (UPyD), the party founded by Rosa Díez, showing his continued interest in Spain’s changing political scene. His shifts between parties and roles reflected the turbulence and realignments of Spanish politics in the late twentieth century.
His death comes as the legacy of Spain’s transition-era politicians is being re-examined. His funeral chapel in Sant Gervasi is expected to draw people from across the political spectrum, a sign of his wide connections and complicated public image. His passing follows other recent high-profile departures from Spanish political life, including the resignation of Ceuta’s government chief amid internal disputes.
Multiple independent Spanish media, including ARA and EFE, confirm that Trias de Bes died in Barcelona at the age of 81 and that the farewell ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, 2026, at the Sant Gervasi funeral home. After his parliamentary career, he was appointed to lead the state shipping company Trasmediterránea, where he helped prepare it for privatization.
La Vanguardia
Trias de Bes’s career reflected how shifting alliances and personal choices shaped Spain’s modern political system. His movement between parties and institutions was typical of a generation navigating the uncertainties of post-Franco Spain. His appointment to oversee the privatization of a major state company suggests that people outside his original political circle valued his administrative skills. As Spain continues to debate its political transition, the passing of figures like Trias de Bes has renewed attention to a recent history where political conviction and pragmatism often intersected, with ambition complicating both.
