José Luis Robles Canibe (20 May 1927 – 27 January 2007) was a Spanish politician 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). Robles was born in the working-class Zabala neighbourhood 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 ...

, where his father was a railwayman. He worked as a captain in the Merchant Navy. In 1980, Robles was voted 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 served until 1983. He was a minister for industry, energy and fishing; and later transport, communication and maritime issues. In 1983, he led the PNV list for local elections in Bilbao, replacing mayor

Jon Castañares Jon Mirena Bitor Castañares Larreategui (1925 – 5 May 2015) was a Spanish politician and economist. He was known for being a strong supporter of Basque nationalism. He served as mayor of Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the la ...

whose popularity was waning. He won by 15,000 votes over the

Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left The Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (, , PSE-EE) is a social-democratic political party in the Basque Country that acts as the regional affiliate of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). History Although local ...

(PSE-EE) nominee and became mayor. Three months into his tenure, the city was hit by floods. He led the recovery, later reflecting that "from the waters surged the new Bilbao". Robles was also a

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 ...

from 1983 to 1989, representing the constituency of

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 ...

. In 2004, he was awarded with a gala by the

Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces The Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FEMP) is an association of local governments in Spain (town councils, provincial councils, island councils, island cabildos, etc) for the purpose of representing the interests of local gove ...

. He died of cancer at the age of 79. Bilbao declared three days of official mourning and posthumously awarded him the city's Gold Medal. His funeral took place at the

Basilica of Begoña The Basilica of Begoña (or Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Begoña in Spanish) is a basilica in Bilbao, in Spain, dedicated to the patron saint of Biscay, the Virgin Begoña. The current parish priest is Jesús Francisco de Garitaonandia. Hist ...

. His niece Isabel Sánchez Robles was also a city councillor in Bilbao and a member of 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 the same party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robles, Jose Luis 1927 births 2007 deaths Basque Nationalist Party politicians Politicians from Bilbao Mayors of Bilbao Government ministers of the Basque Country (autonomous community) Members of the 1st Basque Parliament Members of the 2nd Senate of Spain Members of the 3rd Senate of Spain Deaths from cancer in Spain