The first Basque Government was created after the approval of the first Basque Statute of Autonomy on 1 October 1936, in the midst of the Spanish Civil War. It was headed by José Antonio Aguirre (EAJ-PNV) and was supported by a coalition of all the parties that fought the Nationalist forces in the Civil War: those comprising the Popular Front (PSOE, PCE, EAE-ANV and other parties that sided with the Second Spanish Republic). After the defeat of the Republic, the Basque Government survived in exile, chaired by Jesús María Leizaola after the death of Aguirre in 1960. This first Basque Government was formally disbanded after the approval of the current Statute of Autonomy in 1979, after the death of caudilloFrancisco Franco.
Upon approval of the new Statute, the new Basque Government was created (1980), superseding the Basque General Council. Carlos Garaikoetxea was the first lehendakari of the new Government.
During the current legislative term, the Basque Government is chaired by Iñigo Urkullu, member of the Basque Nationalist Party, thanks to a government agreement with the Basque Socialist Party-Basque Left Party (PSE-EE). Urkullu got the back up of 41 parliamentarians (30 from the PNV and 11 from the PSE-EE) in his inauguration speech that took place in September 2020.
The composition of the Basque Government is established by the President of the Basque Country, also referred in Euskera as Lehendakari, who selects the counselors that will lead each of the Government departments. During the current legislative term the Government is compounded by eleven departments: Security; Labour and Employment; Public Governance and Self-Government; Economic Development, Sustainability and Environment; Economy and Treasury; Education; Territorial Planning, Housing and Transport; Health; Equality, Justice and Social Policies; Culture and Language Policy; and Tourism, Commerce and Consumption.[1] It has 78,000 employees.[2][3]
List of powers
Power held by the Basque country include but are not limited to:
Politics, bureaucracy and justice
Basque Country statistics.
Economic planning.
Internal trade.
Justice (as determined by the Organic Laws of Judiciary and of the General Council of the Judiciary), excluding military justice.
Autonomous police force.
Finance
Co-operatives, Mutual Benefit Societies (not owned by Social Security).
Banks (under state monetary policy).
Industry
Public sector.
Planning of inland territory and coastline, town planning and housing.
Woodland and forestry.
Agriculture and livestock.
Fishing inland.
Pharmaceutical control.
Scientific research.
Professional associations
Casinos, gaming, betting, except for the national system of wagers for sporting charities.
Infrastructure
Hydraulic projects, canals and irrigation schemes when the waters flow, in their entirety, within the Basque Country
Distribution and transport of energy used within the Basque country only.
Railways, transport by land, sea, river and cable, ports, heliports, airports.
Community development.
Health and social
Health
Social welfare work.
Education
Responsibility for all education
Culture
Culture
Responsibility for Spanish and Basque languages
Independent television, radio and press.
Fine Arts institutions
Historical, artistic, monumental, archeological and scientific heritage.
Archives, Libraries and Museums not owned by the state.
