José Antonio Ardanza Garro
Encyclopedia
José Antonio Ardanza Garro is a former Basque
politician that became the second elected Lehendakari
(President
of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country
) after the approval of the Statute of Autonomy
. He was in office between 1985 and 1999.
. One achievement was the Pact of Ajuria Enea, subscribed by virtually all the political parties in the region and designed to create a normal political environment in the Basque Country and eradicate violence. The modernization of the Basque Country that occurred under Ardanza’s mandate facilitated further economic and social development that gave Basque society levels of wealth and welfare comparable with most in Europe.
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
politician that became the second elected Lehendakari
Lehendakari
The President of the Basque Government , usually known in English as the Basque regional president, is the head of government of Basque Country. The president leads the executive branch of the regional government....
(President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
) after the approval of the Statute of Autonomy
Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country
The Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country is the legal document organizing the political system of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country' which includes the historical territories of Alava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa. It forms the region into one of the autonomous communities envisioned in...
. He was in office between 1985 and 1999.
Politics
In 1985, the Basque Parliament chose Ardanza as its new president. Spanning several legislatures, Ardanza's presidency continued until 1999. He continued the work on self-government begun by his predecessor, concentrating particularly on social and economic development, modernizing the region, and claiming greater levels of self-government. Much of Ardanza's time and effort was also aimed at delivering peace to the region and to denouncing the terrorism of ETAETA
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
. One achievement was the Pact of Ajuria Enea, subscribed by virtually all the political parties in the region and designed to create a normal political environment in the Basque Country and eradicate violence. The modernization of the Basque Country that occurred under Ardanza’s mandate facilitated further economic and social development that gave Basque society levels of wealth and welfare comparable with most in Europe.