The first lehendakari of democracy died this Monday. The nationalist Carlos Garaikoetxea died this afternoon in Pamplona at the age of 87. He is remembered for presiding over the Basque Country between 1980 and 1985, inaugurating this position re-established following the Spanish Transition. He was linked to the Basque Nationalist Party (PNB), for which he was also a deputy, and from 1986 he split with the Eusko Alkartasuna party, which would eventually lead to Bildu. He was a Basque deputy from 1980 to 2001, although he also held a seat as a Member of the European Parliament from 1987 to 1991.

The first lehendakari of democracy died this Monday from a heart attack. The nationalist Carlos Garaikoetxea passed away this afternoon in Pamplona at the age of 87, after a long political career. He is remembered for having presided over the Basque Country between 1980 and 1985, inaugurating the self-government re-established with the Spanish Transition, before being replaced by José Antonio Ardanza. He who first became linked to the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), by which he was also a deputy, from 1986 onwards split with the nationalist and progressive party Eusko Alkartasuna, which would eventually evolve into Bildu in 2011. He was a Basque deputy between 1980 and 2001, although he also held a seat as a Member of the European Parliament from 1987 to 1991. In 1979 he was also a Navarrese deputy, a position he let go of the same year to focus on the Basque Country.