Xabier Agirre
{{Short description|Spanish politician (1951–2021)}}
{{family name hatnote|Agirre|López|lang=Spanish}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name = Xabier Agirre
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Xabier Agirre 2010 (cropped).jpg
|caption = Xabier Agirre in 2010
|office1 = Deputy General of Álava
|term_start1 = 27 July 2007
|term_end1 = 7 July 2011
|predecessor1 = {{ill|Ramón Rabanera|es}}
|successor1 = Javier de Andrés
|office2 = Member of the General Assembly of Álava{{cite web |title=AGUIRRE LÓPEZ, FRANCISCO JAVIER |url=https://www.jjggalava.eus/es/-/francisco-javier-aguirre-lopez |website=www.jjggalava.eus |publisher=Juntas Generales de Álava |access-date=26 July 2022 |language=es}}
|term_start2 = 20 June 2007
|term_end2 = 2 January 2012
|constituency2 = Vitoria-Gasteiz
|term_start3 = 19 July 1999
|term_end3 = 1 April 2003
|constituency3 = Vitoria-Gasteiz
|term_start4 = 3 July 1987
|term_end4 = 18 September 1989
|office5 = Member of the Basque Parliament{{cite web |title=Agirre López, Xabier |url=https://www.legebiltzarra.eus/fichas/c_551_SM.html |website=Parlamento Vasco |access-date=26 July 2022 |language=es}}
|term_start5 = 20 November 2012
|term_end5 = 2 August 2016
|constituency5 = Álava
|term_start6 = 4 October 2005
|term_end6 = 21 September 2007
|constituency6 = Álava
|term_start7 = 1 April 2004
|term_end7 = 22 February 2005
|constituency7 = Álava
|birth_name = Francisco Javier Aguirre López
|birth_date = {{birth date|1951|08|04|df=y}}
|birth_place = Vitoria, Spain
|death_date = {{death date and age|2021|02|13|1951|08|04|df=y}}
|death_place = Pamplona, Spain
|party = EAJ/PNV
|otherparty =
|spouse =
|children =
|alma_mater =
|religion =
}}
Xabier Agirre López (8 April 1951 – 13 February 2021) was a Spanish administrator and politician.{{cite news |last1=Izarra |first1=Josean |title=Fallece el ex diputado general de Álava y presidente del PNV Xabier Agirre a los 69 años de edad |url=https://www.elmundo.es/pais-vasco/2021/02/13/602851d9fdddff79828b457d.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Mundo |date=13 February 2021 |location=Vitoria-Gasteiz |language=es}} A member of the Basque Nationalist Party, he held important institutional positions both in the {{ill|Foral Deputation of Álava|es|Diputación Foral de Álava}} and in the Basque Parliament. He served as Deputy General of Álava from 2007 to 2011 and president of {{ill|Araba Buru Batzar|es}} (the governing organ of the Basque Nationalist Party in Álava) from 1983 to 1987 and from 2012 to 2016.
Biography
Xabier Agirre was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz in 1951. He worked in a local savings bank before entering politics. He joined the Basque Nationalist Party in the 1970s, being the head of the Álava branch from 1983 to 1987. That year he was elected to the General Assembly of Álava, in which he served until 1989. From 1990 to 1999, he served as deputy head of the Interior Department of the Basque Government under Juan María Atutxa.{{cite news |last1=Martín |first1=Marta |title=Fallece en Pamplona el histórico dirigente del PNV Xabier Agirre |url=https://www.noticiasdenavarra.com/actualidad/2021/02/13/fallece-pamplona-historico-dirigente-pnv-2163383.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=Noticias de Navarra |date=13 February 2021 |language=es}}
He was the leading candidate of the Basque Nationalist Party in the 2007 election in Álava. Despite his party finishing third,{{cite news |last1=Gorospe |first1=Pedro |title=El escrutino final mantiene a los populares como primera fuerza alavesa |url=https://elpais.com/diario/2007/05/31/paisvasco/1180640404_850215.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El País |date=31 May 2007 |language=es}} he was unexpectedly elected Deputy General{{cite news |title=Xabier Agirre, exdiputado general |url=https://www.elcorreo.com/especial/obituario-alava-2021/xabier-agirre-exdiputado-20211227131735-nt.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Correo |date=30 December 2021 |language=es}} with the support of Eusko Alkartasuna due to the lack of an agreement between the Socialist Party and the People's Party.{{cite news |last1=Zabaleta |first1=María |title=Bailando con el PNV |url=https://www.elcorreo.com/especiales/elecciones/alava/2011/noticias/bailando-20110515.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Correo |date=15 May 2011 |language=es}} In late 2009, a corruption scandal broke out involving Alfredo de Miguel, a member of his government.{{cite news |last1=Rioja Andueza |first1=Iker |title=Dos años desde la sentencia del 'caso De Miguel' y sin noticias del Supremo |url=https://www.eldiario.es/euskadi/anos-sentencia-caso-miguel-noticias-supremo_1_8594147.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=elDiario.es |date=19 December 2021 |language=es}} Despite the local party organs having access to the case summary once it was made public, he didn't gain access to it, which strained the relation between the local party leadership and him.{{cite news |last1=Llorente |first1=Adolfo |title=Xabier Agirre no conoce el sumario del 'caso De Miguel' pese a que su partido lo tiene |url=https://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/20100603/politica/xabier-agirre-conoce-sumario-20100603.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Correo |date=3 June 2010 |language=es}}
His party finished second in the 2011 election, behind the People's Party. Despite having the support from Bildu, the abstention of Ezker Batua in the investiture vote meant that the PP-PSE-EE alliance had more votes, and thus Javier de Andrés was elected his successor.{{cite news |last1=Abaitua |first1=Alberto |title=PP y PSE encumbran a Javier De Andrés como diputado general tras consumarse la 'madrazada' en Ezker Batua |url=https://www.noticiasdealava.eus/politica/2011/07/08/pp-pse-encumbran-javier-andres-1804603.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=Noticias de Álava |date=8 July 2011 |language=es}} According to Agirre, Ezker Batua had demanded the naming of party members to public positions in exchange for their support.{{cite news |last1=Llorente |first1=Adolfo |title=Agirre acusa a EB de exigir 43 puestos y un crédito de 600.000 euros por su apoyo |url=https://www.elcorreo.com/vizcaya/v/20110708/politica/agirre-acusa-exigir-puestos-20110708.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Correo |date=8 July 2011 |language=es}}
From 2012 to 2016 he served as a member of the Basque Parliament and as head of the party in Álava.{{cite news |last1=Izarra |first1=Josean |title=El polvorín del PNV alavés |url=https://www.elmundo.es/pais-vasco/2015/12/27/567fad9d22601d221a8b45b7.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=El Mundo |date=27 December 2015 |language=es}} He died in Pamplona in 2021, aged 69.{{cite news |last1=Rioja Andueza |first1=Iker |title=Fallece el histórico del PNV alavés Xabier Agirre, al que su partido despide como un “referente ético” |url=https://www.eldiario.es/euskadi/fallece-historico-pnv-alaves-xabier-agirre-partido-despide-referente-etico_1_7217678.html |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=elDiario.es |date=13 February 2021 |language=es}}{{cite news |last1=Gatón |first1=Natxo |title=Muere el ex diputado general de Álava Xabier Agirre |url=https://www.gasteizhoy.com/muere-el-ex-diputado-general-de-alava-xabier-agirre/ |access-date=26 July 2022 |work=GasteizHoy |date=13 February 2021 |language=es}}
References
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Category:People from Vitoria-Gasteiz
Category:Politicians from the Basque Country (autonomous community)
Category:Basque Nationalist Party politicians
Category:Deputies general of Álava
Category:Members of the 7th Basque Parliament