Spain: Suarez suffers from Alzheimer's

MADRID, June 1 (UPI) -- Former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez no longer remembers he was a leader due to the onset of Alzheimer's disease, his son said Wednesday.

Adolfo Suarez Illana said his 72-year-old father can't even understand simple conversation, El Mundo newspaper reported in its online edition.

The elder Suarez was Spain's first prime minister after dictator Gen. Francisco Franco died in 1975.

He oversaw Spain's transition to democracy after four decades as a dictatorship until he stepped down in 1981 amid threats of a military coup.