Michael Coy
PERE Sampol passed away last Friday at the age of 73.
Affectionately known as the ‘Man of Montuïri,’ he was a skilled electronic engineer, though he gained far greater recognition throughout the Balearic Islands as a sharp-tongued parliamentarian and spokesperson for the Socialist Party of Mallorca.
Above all, Pere was renowned for his eloquence and biting sarcasm. During the 1995–1999 legislature, he served on the Island Council of Mallorca, and in the following term (1999–2003), he was appointed Vice President of the Balearic Government and Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry under the so-called Progress Pact.
Although he stepped away from regional politics in 2006, he soon took the leap to the national stage. In July 2007, following a coalition agreement between PSOE, Bloc per Mallorca, and Unió Mallorquina, he was appointed regional senator for the Balearic Islands.
His work was quickly recognised: just six months into his mandate, the Association of Parliamentary Journalists (APP) named him Senator of the Year, alongside Dionisio García Carnero (PP), Patricia Hernández Gutiérrez (PSOE), and Javier Maqueda (PNV).
In the 2008 general election, Sampol ran for the Congress of Deputies on the nationalist Unitat per les Illes ticket.
His passing, after a long illness, coincided with a dramatic power outage across much of Spain—a poignant reminder of one of Sampol’s most memorable political battles. As Vice President, he once imposed a landmark fine on Endesa following the most severe blackout Mallorca had ever experienced.
The outage occurred in June 2000, on the first anniversary of the Progress Pact, when a short circuit at the Llubí substation plunged all of Mallorca and part of Menorca into darkness. A year later, Sampol announced a record fine of 100 million pesetas (approximately €600,000 at the time, later adjusted to over €1 million) against Gesa, an Endesa subsidiary, holding it accountable for negligence and inadequate infrastructure.
Though the Progress Pact was often criticised for its lack of political experience, Sampol was undeterred. He publicly accused Endesa of “negligence,” blamed the chaos squarely on the company, and mocked its audacity for sending him inflated bills despite its own failings. “Endesa had a lot of face,” he quipped—a phrase roughly translating to “some nerve” in English.
The company, chaired by Bartolomé Reus, rejected the allegations and threatened legal action. Sampol was unmoved. Instead, he called on affected citizens and businesses to sue the utility for damages, reinforcing his reputation as a bold and combative public servant.
It was one of his most forceful acts as deputy to President Francesc Antich and a defining moment of his political career.
The conservative Partido Popular, then and now, would never have dared issue such a stern rebuke—despite even Jaume Matas grumbling over Reus’s sky-high salary.
In times like the recent blackout, we’re reminded how much we need leaders like Pere Sampol—principled, fearless, and unafraid to speak truth to power.
