Lehendakari facts for kids

Quick facts for kids President of the Basque government
Coat of arms of Basque Country
Incumbent Imanol Pradales since 22 June 2024
Style	Excelentísimo Señor (m), Excelentísima Señora (f) Jaun Txit Agurgarria (m), Andere Txit Agurgarria (f)
Residence	Ajuria Enea
Seat	Lehendakaritza, Vitoria-Gasteiz
Nominator	Basque Parliament
Appointer	The Monarch countersigned by the Prime Minister
Term length	Four years
Inaugural holder	José Antonio Aguirre
Formation	6 October 1936
Website	www.euskadi.eus/eusko-jaurlaritzako-lehendakaritza/

The President of the Basque Government (Basque: Eusko Jaurlaritzako lehendakaria), often called the Lehendakari (Basque: lehendakari), is the leader of the Basque Autonomous Community. This person is like the prime minister or governor of the Basque Country, which is a region in Spain. The Lehendakari is in charge of the government's main activities.

The current Lehendakari is Imanol Pradales. He is a member of the Basque Nationalist Party.

The word lehendakari comes from the Basque language. It means "president." You can use it for the president of a country, a club, or any group.

What Does Lehendakari Mean?

The word lehendakari was created in the 20th century. It comes from two Basque words: lehendabizi, which means "first," and -ari, which is a ending that shows a job or profession. So, it means "the one who is first" or "the leader."

Before the modern Basque language was set up in the 1970s, the word was spelled a bit differently. Both lehendakari (president) and jaurlaritza (government) are new words made by people from the Basque Nationalist Party.

In Basque, you can use both lehendakari and presidente to mean "president." Also, gobernu and jaurlaritza both mean "government." Presidente and gobernu are words that came from Latin.

The word lehendakari is used for many different leaders in the Basque language. It can mean the head of the Basque government, the head of a parliament, or even the head of a sports club.

However, when people speak Spanish, especially outside the Basque region, Lehendakari almost always means only the President of the Basque Government. It's similar to how the word Taoiseach is used in English to mean the leader of Ireland.

How Lehendakaris Take Office

Lehendakaris who are part of the PNV usually take their oath of office in a special way. This tradition was started by the first Lehendakari, José Antonio Aguirre.

The ceremony happens next to the Guernica Tree. This tree is a very important symbol for the Basque people. The Lehendakari places a hand on a Basque Bible. They say a special promise that goes something like this: "before God, standing on Basque land, remembering our ancestors, under the Guernica Tree, and before you, representatives of the Basque people, I swear..."

A former Lehendakari, Patxi López, used a similar promise in the same place. But he made some changes. For example, he did not say "before God" and he swore on the Basque Statute of Autonomy (a special law for the Basque region) instead of a Bible.

See also

• List of Lehendakaris
• Ajuria Enea
• Basque Government
• Basque Parliament