Iñaki Anasagasti (born 16 November 1947) is a Venezuelan-Spanish politician, belonging to the
Basque Nationalist Party
The Basque Nationalist Party ( , EAJ; , PNV; , PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been de ...
.
Biography
Anasagasti was born to exiled Spanish parents in
Cumaná
Cumaná () is the capital city of Venezuela's Sucre State. It is located east of Caracas. Cumaná was one of the first cities founded by Spain in the mainland Americas and is the oldest continuously-inhabited Hispanic-established city in Sout ...
, Venezuela. His father was a
Basque
Basque may refer to:
* Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France
* Basque language, their language
Places
* Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France
* Basque Country (autonomous co ...
nationalist and a member of the
Basque Nationalist Party
The Basque Nationalist Party ( , EAJ; , PNV; , PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been de ...
(PNV), who had fled the country after the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War () was a military conflict fought from 1936 to 1939 between the Republican faction (Spanish Civil War), Republicans and the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalists. Republicans were loyal to the Left-wing p ...
. In the mid-1950s, his parents decided that Iñaki and his three brothers had to be educated in the Basque Country of Spain, so sent their children to return to
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
to the care of their grandparents. Iñaki studied at the
Sociedad de María,
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
from 1955 to 1961 and from this date to 1965 in Santiago Apóstol of
Bilbao
Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
.
Venezuela
In 1965 his father died and he returned to
Venezuela
Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...
, where he remained for ten years. He became acquainted with the exiled Basque Nationalist Party in
Caracas
Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...
, and studied Journalism and Sociology at the
Universidad Católica Andres Bello run by
Jesuits
The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
. There he met his future wife Maria Esther Solabarrieta, whom he married in 1976. In the early 1970s he was named president of
Euzko Gaztedi Indarra a youth wing of the EGI, in the Basque center of Caracas. He became involved with
Radio Euzkadi,
broadcast daily in Venezuela and collaborated in the resistance magazine ''
Gudari''.
Return to Spain
In August 1975, he returned again to
San Sebastián
San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
and directed the publication of the PNV,
Euzkadi. He was detained on 1 April 1976 with
Joseba Goikoetxea (assassinated later by
ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
) and
Bingen Zubiri, and by order of the Minister of the Interior
Manuel Fraga
Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician during the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, who was also one of the founders of the People's Alliance (Spain), People's Alliance (AP). Fraga ...
, he was jailed for three days. He was chosen in 1977 as a member of the regional council of the PNV in
Biscay
Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
(Bizkai Buru Batzar), a position that he occupied until 1980 under the Presidency of
Carlos Garaikoetxea.
Cortes Generales
In 1980 he was elected to the
Basque Parliament
The Basque Parliament (Basque language, Basque: ''Eusko Legebiltzarra'', Spanish language, Spanish: ''Parlamento Vasco'') is the legislative body of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected ...
where he was an MP between 1980 and 1986. In 1986 he was elected to the
Congress of deputies
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate of Spain, Senate. The Congress meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, Madrid, Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has ...
, representing
Vizcaya, where he served until 2004 as leader for the Basque Nationalist Parliament Group. In 2004 he was elected
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
for Vizcaya, and reelected in 2008, at the Senate he was elected to the Bureau of the Senate in the 8th legislature, in the position of First Secretary.
In 2012 he proposed the idea of creating a Catalan-Basque-Navarrese monarchy around
Archduke Domingo de Habsburgo-Borbón, the Habsburg-Bourbon
Carlist
Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...
-
Carloctavismo
Carloctavismo (; the name appears also as ''carlosoctavismo'', ''carlooctavismo'', ''carlos-octavismo'', ''carlo-octavismo'', or ''octavismo'') is a branch of Carlism, particularly active in the 1943–1953 period. In terms of Dynasty, dynastical a ...
claimant to the Spanish throne.
See also
*
Carlism
Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...
References
Biography at Spanish Congress site
External links
*
Personal Blog of Iñaki Anasagasti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anasagasti
1947 births
Andrés Bello Catholic University alumni
Basque Nationalist Party politicians
Living people
Members of the 1st Basque Parliament
Members of the 2nd Basque Parliament
Members of the 3rd Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 4th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 5th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 6th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 7th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
Members of the 8th Senate of Spain
People from Cumaná
Venezuelan emigrants to Spain
Venezuelan people of Basque descent
Members of the 9th Senate of Spain
Members of the 10th Senate of Spain