Díaz Berbel joined the People's Alliance (AP) in 1981 as the party's president in the province of Granada, holding that role for six years and a place in the party's national executive until the resignation of founder Manuel Fraga in 1986.
[1] In 2004, the 25th anniversary of democratic local elections, he and all other mayors were given Granada's Gold Medal of Merit.
[4] During his time in office, Díaz Berbel accompanied Dorothy Howell Rodham – mother of First Lady of the United States Hillary Clinton – when she was studying incognito in Granada.
The Clintons' visit to the site boosted numbers of foreign tourists, particularly Americans.
[6] He was the first democratic mayor of Granada to die; incumbent José Torres Hurtado decreed two days of official mourning.