Juan José Ibarretxe

Juan José Ibarretxe is a Spanish politician known primarily for serving as the Lehendakari (president) of the Basque Government from 1999 to 2009. He is a member of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and advocates for greater autonomy for the Basque Country, a region in northern Spain with a distinct culture and language. Ibarretxe is recognized for proposing a controversial plan in 2004 that sought to grant the Basque Country greater political and tax powers, including the possibility of a future independence referendum. His tenure was marked by debates over nationalism, identity, and regional governance.