Juan José Ibarretxe

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Juan Jose Ibarretxe
Lehendakari of the Basque Country
In office 2 January 1999 – 7 May 2009
Vice President
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
Succeeded by
Personal details
Born	Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (1957-05-15) 15 May 1957 (age 64) Llodio, Álava, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Political party	PNV
Spouse(s)	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[]

Ibarretxe (middle) at an event in San Sebastián

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[]

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 foresees a future Basque country freely associated with Spain, with its own separate legal system and European Union (EU) representation.

Private life and hobbies[]

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[]

• Basque nationalism
• Politics of Spain

References[]

External links[]

• 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)