Juan José Ibarretxe
 |
Juan Jose Ibarretxe | |
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| Lehendakari of the Basque Country | |
| In office 2 January 1999 – 7 May 2009 | |
| Vice President | Idoia Zenerrutzabeitia Beldarrain |
| Preceded by | José Antonio Ardanza |
| Succeeded by | Patxi López |
| Deputy Lehendakari of the Basque Country | |
| In office 4 January 1995 – 2 January 1999 | |
| President | José Antonio Ardanza |
| Preceded by | Jon Imanol Azúa |
| Succeeded by | Idoia Zenerrutzabeitia Beldarrain |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu 15 May 1957 Llodio, Álava, Spain |
| Political party | PNV |
| Spouse | Begoña Arregui |
Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born 15 March 1957)[1] is a former president of the Basque Autonomous Community in Spain.[2] Also a leading member of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) during the period, he held office from 2 January 1999 to 7 May 2009. Ibarretxe is an advocate of Basque independence by peaceful means.[2]
Origins and early political career
[edit]
He was born in Llodio in the province of Álava, and holds a degree in Economics from the University of the Basque Country. In 1983 he was elected a member of the Basque Parliament for Álava, representing the PNV, and from then on rose steadily to prominence. From 1986-1990 and 1991-1994 he was the President of the PNV Economic and Budgetary Commission. On 4 January 1995, then Basque President José Antonio Ardanza appointed him Vice President.
Lehendakari
[edit]On 28 March 1998, he was nominated PNV presidential candidate to compete in the October 25 Basque election, and became lehendakari (president) on 2 January 1999. In October 2003 he released the highly controversial Ibarretxe Plan (Plan Ibarretxe), which foresaw a future Basque country freely associated with Spain, with its own separate legal system and European Union (EU) representation.[citation needed] In October 2007 while in office he was prosecuted for holding talks with other political agents in search for a compromise leading to peace, considered illegal by the judge for the participation of former members of Batasuna.[3]
Private life and hobbies
[edit] |
Ibarretxe grew up speaking only Spanish, but now speaks Basque acceptably and English. He is an avid cycling fan and has presided over a cycling club in Llodio. He is married and has two children. He is a non-practising Roman Catholic.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ IBARRETXE MARKUARTU Juan José International Who's Who. accessed 1 September 2006.
- ^ a b Wilkinson, Tracy (23 March 2006). "Basque Separatist Group Ends Four-Decade War With Spain". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.[dead link]
- ^ Bidaurrazaga, Aitor Guenaga (2007-10-30). "Ibarretxe, López y Otegi, al banquillo". El País (in Spanish). ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
External links
[edit]- Dada, Kamil (25 January 2008). "Basque leader's visit stirs protest". Stanford Daily. Archived from the original on 9 June 2011.
- New Opportunities for Peace in the Basque Area: A Discussion with Juan José Ibarretxe U.S. Institute of Peace, June 2006 (Audio, Remarks and Photos)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1957 births
- Living people
- Members of the 2nd Basque Parliament
- Members of the 3rd Basque Parliament
- Members of the 4th Basque Parliament
- Members of the 5th Basque Parliament
- Members of the 6th Basque Parliament
- Members of the 7th Basque Parliament
- Members of the 8th Basque Parliament
- Members of the 9th Basque Parliament
- People from Álava
- Presidents of the Basque Government
- University of the Basque Country alumni
- Mayors of places in the Basque Country