Mayor of Madrid

"The great sin of Spain has been the lack of an organized administrative society," Enrique Tieroo Galvan, mayor of Madrid, told more than 300 people at the Science Center last night.

Galvan, a reknowned socialist, said the current monarchy in Spain is an "instrument of transition" from the previous dictatorship to an "advanced democratic state." The problem is setting the limits of this "advanced state," he added.

"Spain has not been able to establish a contemporary society, such as those in neighboring European countries because there is an incapacity to understand change," Galvan said, adding, "there seems to be an aesthetic satisfaction in Spain for the underdeveloped."

The attempted coup by members of the Spanish Parliament last February marked regression towards previous behavior, the mayor, who spoke in Spanish, said.

He added that Spain needs a "compromise" between the old institutions, such as the Catholic Church, that are fundamental to Spanish society and the need for an organized federal State and a controlled economy.

Galvan's lecture, "Reflections of an Intellectual and Politician," was received with great enthusiasm by a primarily Hispanic audience.