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Basque Leaders Unite in Tribute to Carlos Garaikoetxea’s Autonomy Legacy

The June 16 event united rival Basque parties in a gesture of reconciliation to celebrate the institutions founded by the region’s first lehendakari

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Overview

  • A tribute on June 16, 2025, honored Carlos Garaikoetxea, who served as the Basque Government’s inaugural lehendakari from 1980 to 1986
  • The ceremony was promoted by Basque culture minister Imanol Pradales and drew representatives from the PNV, EH Bildu and other regional bodies
  • Three surviving ministers from Garaikoetxea’s original cabinet joined the homage, underscoring his role in creating Osakidetza, the Ertzaintza and EiTB
  • Speakers recalled the ‘years of lead’ of ETA violence, the HB incident at the Casa de Juntas in Gernika and subsequent PNV splits
  • Organizers framed the homage as a step toward healing divisions within Basque nationalism rooted in its post-dictatorship history