Manuel Soto Ferreiro

Manoel Soto Ferreiro (6 April 1944 – 27 November 2019) was a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) politician. He was the first democratically elected mayor of Vigo in Galicia from 1979 to 1991.

Biography Born in Ourense, Soto was a founder of the Socialists' Party of Galicia (PSdeG). In the first democratic local elections in April 1979, his party came second to the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) but governed through a coalition with three other left-wing parties, making him mayor.

In the 1980s, Soto reformed the industrial city with new sculptures and projects, such as renovation of the Balaídos stadium for the 1982 FIFA World Cup. He sympathised with the Movida viguesa youth music and arts movement during the decade. He died of lung cancer at the age of 75.