Xabier Arzalluz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Xabier Arzalluz
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Arzalluz in 1996
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| 25th [[President of the Basque Nationalist Party]] | |
| In office 18 January 1987 – 18 January 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Jesús Insausti |
| Succeeded by | Josu Jon Imaz |
| 22nd [[President of the Basque Nationalist Party]] | |
| Preceded by | Carlos Garaikoetxea |
| Succeeded by | Román Sudupe |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 15 June 1977 – 1 February 1980 |
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| Constituency | Gipuzkoa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 August 1932 Azkoitia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country |
| Died | 28 February 2019 Bilbao, Biscay, Basque Country |
| Political party | Basque Nationalist Party |
| Alma mater | Zaragoza University |
Xabier Arzalluz Antia (born August 24, 1932 – died February 28, 2019) was an important Basque politician. He led the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) for many years, from 1979 to 2004. He was known for being a nationalist and a Christian Democrat. During his time, he was seen as one of the most powerful politicians in the Basque Country. He made many key decisions for his party.
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Early Life and Education
Xabier Arzalluz was born in Azkoitia, a town in Gipuzkoa, Basque Country. His family had traditional political views. He went to a school run by the Jesuits in Durango.
In the 1960s, he earned degrees in Law and Philosophy from the University of Zaragoza. He also spent time in Frankfurt, Germany. There, he studied German Christian Democracy and Theology. He became a Jesuit priest. Later, he worked as a professor at the University of Deusto. In 1969, he secretly joined the Basque Nationalist Party. He later left the priesthood and got married.
Becoming a Political Leader
In 1977 and 1979, Xabier Arzalluz was elected to the Spanish Parliament. He represented the PNV in Gipuzkoa. He talked with Adolfo Suárez, who was a key leader in Spain. These talks helped create the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country. This special law gave the Basque Country more power to govern itself.
Arzalluz then developed a plan for his party based on this new law. In 1979, he left his seat in parliament. He became the leader of the PNV, taking over from Carlos Garaikoetxea. He held this important position until 2004. Under his leadership, the PNV remained the most powerful political party in the Basque Country.
Later Years in Politics
In the 1980s, Carlos Garaikoetxea, who was then the Basque President (called lehendakari), wanted more independence from the PNV party. However, Arzalluz believed the party's decisions should be followed by all members. This disagreement led to a split in the PNV in 1984. A new party, Eusko Alkartasuna, was formed by Garaikoetxea.
Arzalluz was a main speaker for the Basque Nationalist Party. He often shared his thoughts in the Basque newspaper Deia. He also gave many speeches at PNV events, like Alderdi Eguna (Party Day) and Aberri Eguna (Day of the Basque Homeland). While popular with PNV voters, he was less known or liked by the general public in Spain.
He admired Italian Christian Democrat leaders like Francesco Cossiga and Giulio Andreotti. Even though he had connections with Christian Democrats in Europe, the PNV had to leave the Christian Democrat International group in the 1990s. This happened because of pressure from the Spanish conservative People's Party. Besides his political work, he also taught Constitutional Law at the University of Deusto in Bilbao until 1999.
Death
Xabier Arzalluz passed away in Bilbao on February 28, 2019. He was 86 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Xabier Arzalluz para niños
