Iñaki Oyarzabal Miguel (born 1966)[1] is a Spanish People's Party (PP) politician. He was a member of the Basque Parliament (1996–2016) and the Senate of Spain (2015–2019), and has been part of his party's national executive since 2012, the first openly gay person to do so. He is considered part of the party's centrist faction.[2]
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Biography
editOyarzabal was born in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Álava in the Basque Country. He began his political involvement at age 18 with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) which merged into the People's Party (PP) in 1989.[3]
Oyarzabal was voted onto his hometown's council in 1995 and to the Basque Parliament the following year, remaining in the latter until 2016.[4] In 2008, he moved from being secretary general of the PP in his home province to the equivalent in the People's Party of the Basque Country under Arantza Quiroga,[5] holding the role until March 2014.[6] In February 2012, he was made his party's national Secretary for Justice, Rights and Liberties.[7] Four months later, he came out as gay to be named in a list of the 50 most influential LGBT people in Spain published by El Mundo; he was the first member of the PP executive to come out as gay.[2] In June 2019, Oyarzabal criticised an LGBT pride event in Madrid for barring representatives of any party working with Vox, which then meant the PP and Citizens.[8]
Oyarzabal was elected to the Senate of Spain for the Álava constituency in the 2015 general election as the PP's only representative in the constituency,[9] and kept his seat in the 2016 general election.[10] At the start of the following year, he was appointed president of the PP in the province, after Javier de Andrés became the government delegate in the Basque Country.[11] He lost his seat in the April 2019 election, coming tenth in the four-seat constituency.[12] He was named as his party's lead candidate in the constituency for the 2023 election,[13] falling short again in eighth place.[14]
References
edit- ^ Izarra, Josean (2 December 2018). "Iñaki Oyarzabal: "El PNV alavés está tocado por la corrupción y no pelea por Álava"" [Iñaki Oyarzabal: "The PNV in Álava is touched by corruption and does not fight for Álava"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ a b Barriuso, Olatz (24 June 2012). "Iñaki Oyarzábal hace pública su homosexualidad" [Iñaki Oyarzabal comes out as gay]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Izarra, Josean (18 June 2017). "Oyarzábal, un estratega para el examen electoral de 2019" [Oyarzabal, a strategist for the 2019 electoral exam]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Domaika, Eva (28 May 2023). "Estos son los candidatos a la Diputación foral de Álava 2023" [These are the candidates for the Chartered Deputation of Álava in 2023] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Javier de Andrés sustituirá a Iñaki Oyarzabal como secretario general del PP de Álava" [Javier de Andrés will replace Iñaki Oyarzabal as secretary general of the Álava PP] (in Spanish). Libertad Digital. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Quiroga dice que "sigue" la búsqueda de un relevo para Oyarzábal" [Quiroga says that the search for Oyarzabal's replacement "continues"] (in Spanish). LaSexta. EFE. 6 March 2014. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Barriuso, Olatz (18 February 2022). "Iñaki Oyarzábal se incorpora a la dirección del PP" [Iñaki Oyarzabal joins the PP executive]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Oyarzábal (PP) carga contra la organización del Orgullo LGTBI: "Son una panda de sectarios. Que les den"" [Oyarzabal (PP) rallies against the LGBTI Pride organisation: "They're a bunch of sectarians. To hell with them"] (in Spanish). LaSexta. 11 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Yurre, David (21 December 2015). "El PP, quinta fuerza en Euskadi" [PP, fifth force in Basque Country] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ Carazo, Ander (30 June 2016). "Oyarzábal llama "miserable" a Urtaran por comparar al PP de Vitoria con Le Pen" [Oyarzabal calls Urtaran "miserable" for comparing the Vitoria PP with Le Pen]. El Correo (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Iñaki Oyarzabal, nuevo presidente del PP de Álava" [Iñaki Oyarzabal, new president of the Álava PP]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). EFE. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Araba / Álava - senadores (4 escaños)" [Araba / Álava - senators (4 seats)] (in Spanish). Europa Press. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "El PP sitúa a Iñaki Oyarzábal como candidato principal al Senado por Álava" [PP puts Iñaki Oyarzabal as lead candidate for Senate for Álava]. elDiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 14 June 2023. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "EH Bildu es el partido más votado de San Millán" [EH Bildu is the most voted for party in San Millán] (in Spanish). RTVE. 24 July 2023. Retrieved 27 May 2024.