Gorka Urtaran

Gorka Urtaran Agirre (born 21 December 1973)[1] is a Spanish politician of the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV). He served as mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz from 2015 to 2023.

Biography

Urtaran was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava. His mother, María Jesús Agirre, was a Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV) politician who was deputy mayor of the city during the mandate of José Ángel Cuerda and a member of the Congress of Deputies from 1995 to 1997.[2] He graduated in Sociology from the University of the Basque Country, where he studied at its Leioa campus and wrote a postgraduate thesis on migration.[3]

After being a civil servant in the Vitoria-Gasteiz Department of Social Intervention, Urtaran served in his province's Juntas Generales from 2007 to 2011.[3] In December 2010, he was confirmed as the EAJ-PNV candidate for mayor in the next year's elections.[4] His party came second to the People's Party (PP), whose leader Javier Maroto was invested as mayor.[5] Four years later, the EAJ-PNV lost a seat and fell to third behind the PP and EH Bildu, but Urtaran was invested as mayor with the votes of his party, EH Bildu and two smaller groups.[6] In 2019, he won a second term with the support of the Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE-EE).[7] He did not stand for reelection in 2023.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Gorka Urtaran". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Fallece María Jesús Agirre, quien fuera vicealcaldesa de Vitoria" [María Jesús Agirre, who was the deputy mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz, dies]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). EFE. 19 November 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cueto, Iosu (15 June 2019). "Gorka Urtaran, un sociólogo con la política en los genes" [Gorka Urtaran, a sociologist with politics in his genes]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  4. ^ "El PNV ratifica a Urtaran como candidato a alcalde de Vitoria para las elecciones de 2011" [PNV confirms Urtaran as candidate for mayor of Vitoria for the 2011 elections] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  5. ^ Cueto, Iosu (12 June 2011). "El PP recupera la Alcaldía de Vitoria con los únicos votos a favor de su partido" [PP recovers mayoralty of Vitoria-Gasteiz with only votes in favour from its party]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Gorka Urtaran se compromete a ser el alcalde de "los acuerdos y los pactos"" [Gorka Urtaran promises to be themayor of "agreements and pacts"] (in Spanish). Deia. EFE. 13 June 2015. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  7. ^ "Urtaran se compromete a abrir en Vitoria una etapa de "diálogo, entendimiento y acuerdo"" [Urtaran promises to open in Vitoria a period of "dialogue, understanding and agreement"]. El Plural (in Spanish). 15 June 2019. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  8. ^ Ortega, David (25 October 2022). "Beatriz Artolazabal sustituye a Urtaran como candidata del PNV al Ayuntamiento de Vitoria" [Beatriz Artolazabal replaces Urtaran as PNV candidate for Vitoria City Hall]. Noticias de Álava (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 June 2023.