The political world bids farewell to Celestí Alomar: "One of the great men of this homeland of ours"

PalmaThe death of former Minister of Tourism Celestí Alomar has shaken the political landscape of the Islands. The President of Congress, Francina Armengol, lamented the loss in a message published on X: "I find it hard to find words to say goodbye to a friend, a colleague, and a person who has been so important in my life and in the socialism of the Islands." "We are left with his generosity, his loyalty, all the shared conversations and, above all, the way he understood politics: always at the service of the people and our land," she continued.

Born in Llubí in 1949, Alomar had an intense career as a deputy in the fifth and sixth legislatures of the Balearic Islands and a counselor under the presidency of Francesc Antich (1999-2003). The socialist was a member of the PSIB until 2017, when he resigned to express his rejection of the application of Article 155 in Catalonia. In a statement, the party also expressed its condolences. "During his life's journey, he defended values and ethics that have made him a benchmark in the Balearic Islands," he stated: "One of the key figures for understanding the sustainable tourism model." Thus, he recalled that Alomar led the debate on the economic model of the Balearic Islands and defended the implementation of the ecotax despite the frontal opposition of the hotel sector. This tax has today become "an unquestionable element, a pioneering reference in the Balearic Islands and in many other tourist destinations in Spain".

The leader of MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, has also echoed the news. "Celestí Alomar, one of the great men of this homeland of ours, has left us," he lamented, in addition to highlighting that he was "a founder of the PSIB, later a militant of the PSOE and finally of the progressive cause". "The hoteliers declared open war on him," he continued in a post on X: "However, his unshakeable loyalty was always with the country". The Obra Cultural Balear (OCB) has also made a publication in which it has highlighted Alomar's commitment to language, culture, and territory, as he was a member and part of the entity's Advisory Council.