Arantza Quiroga Cía
Encyclopedia
Arantza Quiroga Cía is the current President of the Basque Parliament
, an office commonly known in the Anglophone world by the name of "Speaker of the Parliament". Mrs. Quiroga, who has a degree in Law, is a member of the conservative People's Party
(PP) and the current Deputy Secretary-General of the Basque branch of the party.
Born to a father from Valladolid
and a Basque mother, she grew up in Irún
. The Basque nationalist leanings of her grandmother, who tried to swerve her into voting the PNV
when she came of age, did not succeed in recruiting her for the nationalist cause: she became a member of the Spain-wide People's Party youth movement Nuevas Generaciones at 21 and was elected a local councillor for Irún
on the party list. Her political career began to take off three years later, when she gave a speech at a party meeting in Madrid
regarding the 20th anniversary of the first democratic elections
.
She was first elected to the Basque Parliament
in the 1998 election
for the constituency of Guipúzcoa, and has since had a continuous presence in the chamber (she lost her seat in the 2001 election
, but entered parliament because fellow PP MP María San Gil
resigned her Guipúzcoa seat shortly after the election). On virtue of a deal between her party and the PSE-EE after the 2009 election
, the conservatives announced that she would be their candidate for President of the Basque Parliament even though she is not fluent in the Basque language
, which prompted criticism from nationalist parties. She was elected as Speaker on April 3, 2009, and formally opened the new Parliament with a speech mixing Basque and Spanish.
Basque Parliament
The Basque Parliament is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible....
, an office commonly known in the Anglophone world by the name of "Speaker of the Parliament". Mrs. Quiroga, who has a degree in Law, is a member of the conservative People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
(PP) and the current Deputy Secretary-General of the Basque branch of the party.
Born to a father from Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
and a Basque mother, she grew up in Irún
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
. The Basque nationalist leanings of her grandmother, who tried to swerve her into voting the PNV
Basque Nationalist Party
The Basque National Party is the largest and oldest Basque nationalist party. It is currently the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community also with a minor presence in Navarre and a marginal one in the French Basque Country...
when she came of age, did not succeed in recruiting her for the nationalist cause: she became a member of the Spain-wide People's Party youth movement Nuevas Generaciones at 21 and was elected a local councillor for Irún
Irun
Irun is a town of the Bidasoa-Txingudi region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain...
on the party list. Her political career began to take off three years later, when she gave a speech at a party meeting in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
regarding the 20th anniversary of the first democratic elections
Spanish transition to democracy
The Spanish transition to democracy was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. The transition is usually said to have begun with Franco’s death on 20 November 1975, while its completion has been variously said to be marked by the Spanish...
.
She was first elected to the Basque Parliament
Basque Parliament
The Basque Parliament is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible....
in the 1998 election
Basque parliamentary election, 1998
Elections to the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain, were held on October 25, 1998.The Basque Nationalist Party won 21 seats, the People`s Party came second with 16 seats, the Batasuna party under the name Euskal Herritarrok and the Socialist Party of the Basque...
for the constituency of Guipúzcoa, and has since had a continuous presence in the chamber (she lost her seat in the 2001 election
Basque parliamentary election, 2001
Elections to the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain, were held on May 13, 2001.The electoral coalition Eusko Alkartasuna-Basque Nationalist Party won 33 seats, the People`s Party came second with 19 seats, the Socialist Party of the Basque Country came in third with...
, but entered parliament because fellow PP MP María San Gil
María San Gil
María San Gil Noain is a Spanish Basque politician.Born in San Sebastián, San Gil graduated with a degree in Trilingual Biblical Philology from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca. In 1991 she began working for the San Sebastián city council, representing the conservative Partido Popular...
resigned her Guipúzcoa seat shortly after the election). On virtue of a deal between her party and the PSE-EE after the 2009 election
Basque parliamentary election, 2009
Elections to the Basque regional parliament were held in the Basque Country on 1 March 2009.Shortly before the election, two parties reportedly tied to ETA – D3M and Askatasuna, "Freedom" – were banned by a court ruling from standing in the election.-Results:In stark contrast with the latest...
, the conservatives announced that she would be their candidate for President of the Basque Parliament even though she is not fluent in the Basque language
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
, which prompted criticism from nationalist parties. She was elected as Speaker on April 3, 2009, and formally opened the new Parliament with a speech mixing Basque and Spanish.
External links
- Basque Parliament: Arantza Quiroga - Bio