Fernando Buesa

Fernando Buesa Blanco (29 May 1946 – 22 February 2000) was a Spanish politician[1] in the Basque Christian Democracy and in the Socialist Party of Euskadi - Euskadiko Ezkerra (PSE-EE) branch of the social democratic Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was assassinated by ETA.[2]

Fernando Buesa
In office
1984–2000

Background

Born in 1946 in Bilbao, Basque Autonomous Community, Spain, Buesa studied law in Madrid and Barcelona and practiced from 1970 to 1986 in Vitoria-Gasteiz. He was a councillor in Vitoria-Gasteiz (1983–97), a member of the parliament of the Basque Country (1984–2000) and leader of Álava province council (1987–91). Buesa was also deputy 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.

Fernando Buesa was married and had three children.[3]

Death

At the time of his death Buesa was the leader of the PSE-EE in Álava and the PSE-EE spokesman in the parliament of the Basque Country. He was killed by the separatist group ETA while he was walking through the university campus in Vitoria-Gasteiz on the 22 February 2000. The car bombing also killed his bodyguard, the ertzaina (Basque policeman) Jorge Díez Elorza. The killing inspired a celebrated documentary by the Basque filmmaker Eterio Ortega Santillana titled Asesinato en Febrero ("Assassination in February").

His brother, an economics professor in Madrid, has become politically active analysing the economic implications of eventual Basque independence.

The sports arena of the Vitoria-Gasteiz Baskonia basketball team, which was formerly known as Araba Arena, was renamed Fernando Buesa Arena following his death.[4]

See also

References
  1. Al Goodman. "Former leader of Basque terrorist group sentenced to prison". CNN. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  2. Bryant |, Tony (2019-02-22). "22 February 2000: ETA kills leader of Basque socialist party". surinenglish.com. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  3. "Fernando´s life". Fundación Fernando Buesa Fundazioa. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
  4. "THE FOUNDATION". Fundación Fernando Buesa Fundazioa. Retrieved 2019-11-11.
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