Fernando Buesa
Vice Lehendakari for Social Affairs
In office
4 October 1991 – 4 January 1995
LehendakariJosé Antonio Ardanza
Preceded byJon Imanol Azúa [es] (Vice Lehendakari)
Succeeded byPost abolished
Head of the Department of Education, Universities and Research
In office
4 October 1991 – 4 January 1995
LehendakariJosé Antonio Ardanza
Preceded byInaxio Oliveri [eu]
Succeeded byInaxio Oliveri
Deputy General of Álava
In office
17 July 1987 – 17 July 1991
Preceded byJuan María Ollora
Succeeded byAlberto Ansola
Member of the Basque Parliament[1]
In office
22 March 1984 – 22 February 2000
ConstituencyÁlava
Member of the General Assembly of Álava[2]
In office
24 May 1983 – 22 February 2000
ConstituencyVitoria-Gasteiz
Personal details
Born
Fernando Buesa Blanco

(1946-05-29)May 29, 1946
Bilbao, Spain
DiedFebruary 22, 2000(2000-02-22) (aged 53)
Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Manner of deathAssassination

Fernando Buesa Blanco (29 May 1946 – 22 February 2000) was a Spanish politician[3] in the Basque Christian Democracy and in the Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE-EE) branch of the social democratic Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was assassinated by ETA.[4]

Biography

Memorial to Fernando Buesa at the site of his assassination.

Born in 1946 in Bilbao, Spain, Buesa studied law in Madrid and Barcelona and practiced from 1970 to 1986 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. He served in the Vitoria-Gasteiz city council from 1983 to 1997, in the Basque Parliament from 1984 to 2000 and as Deputy General of Álava from 1987 to 1991. Buesa was also vice lehendakari (president of the Basque government) and minister of Education in a coalition PSE-Basque Nationalist Party Basque government from 1991 to 1994.

From this position, he steered the process that moved the Basque-language schools (ikastolak) into either the Basque public education network or the Basque chartered private education sector.[5]

Fernando Buesa was married and had three children.[6]

Assassination

At the time of his death Buesa was the leader of the PSE-EE in Álava and the PSE-EE spokesman in the Basque Parliament. He was killed by the separatist group ETA while he was walking through the university campus in Vitoria-Gasteiz on 22 February 2000. The car bombing also killed his bodyguard, the ertzaina (member of the Basque police) Jorge Díez Elorza.[7]

Legacy

His assassination inspired a well received documentary by the Basque filmmaker Eterio Ortega [es] titled Asesinato en febrero [es].[8]

The home arena of the Vitoria-Gasteiz Baskonia basketball team, formerly known as Araba Arena, was renamed Fernando Buesa Arena after his death.[9]

Honours

See also

References

  1. ^ "Buesa Blanco, Fernando". Parlamento Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  2. ^ "BUESA BLANCO, FERNANDO". www.jjggalava.eus (in Spanish). Juntas Generales de Álava. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  3. ^ Goodman, Al (7 November 2011). "Former leader of Basque terrorist group sentenced to prison". CNN. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  4. ^ Bryant, Tony (22 February 2019). "22 February 2000: ETA kills leader of Basque socialist party". Sur in English. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  5. ^ Gorospe, Pedro (27 May 1993). "El 56% de las ikastolas vascas decide integrarse en la enseñanza pública". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Fernando´s life". Fundación Fernando Buesa Fundazioa. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  7. ^ Gorospe, Pedro (23 February 2000). "ETA asesina en Vitoria al dirigente socialista Fernando Buesa y a su escolta de la Ertzaintza". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ Silvestre, Juan (23 September 2021). "Las 32 mejores películas sobre ETA y el conflicto vasco". Fotogramas (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  9. ^ Ortiz de Arri, Eduardo (1 March 2000). "El Pabellón Araba pasa a llamarse Fernando Buesa Arena". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  10. ^ "El Gobierno acuerda la entrega de un argelino preso por terrorismo". El País (in Spanish). 26 February 2005. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  11. ^ "por el que se concede, a título póstumo, la Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Alfonso X el Sabio a don Fernando Buesa Blanco". Real Decreto No. 226/2005 of 26 February 2005 (in Spanish). Vol. 49. p. 7155. Retrieved 27 July 2022 – via BOE.

External links

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