Miren Edurne Gorrotxategi Azurmendi (born 18 September 1967)[1] is a Basque lawyer, jurist, university teacher and former politician from Spain. She is a university teacher of Constitucional Law at the University of the Basque Country.
Miren Gorrotxategi | |
|---|---|
 Miren Gorrotxategi in 2023 | |
| Spokesperson of the Elkarrekin Podemos-Ezker Anitza Group in the Basque Parliament | |
| In office 3 August 2020 – 21 April 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Lander Martínez |
| Succeeded by | Office abolished |
| Member of the Basque Parliament | |
| In office 3 August 2020 – 21 April 2024 | |
| Constituency | Biscay |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 21 May 2019 – 24 September 2019 | |
| Constituency | Biscay |
| Member of the Senate of Spain | |
| In office 20 December 2015 – 4 March 2019 | |
| Constituency | Biscay |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Miren Edurne Gorrotxategi Azurmendi 18 September 1967 Abadiño, Basque Country, Spain |
| Political party | Podemos Euskadi (2014–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of the Basque Country |
| Occupation | Lawyer, jurist, university teacher |
She served in the Senate (2016–2019) and the Congress of Deputies (May 2019–September 2019). She was a member of the Basque Parliament and spokesperson of the Elkarrekin Podemos-Ezker Anitza Parliamentary Group in the Basque Parliament from 2020 to 2024.
Biography
editGorrotxategi was born in Abadiño, Biscay.[2] She graduated with a law degree from the University of the Basque Country in 1991 and later got a postgraduate diploma in environmental law.
She began as a university teacher, teaching classes there in constitutional law and history of political thought in 1992.[1] She taught in the Basque language.[2]
Political career
editGorrotxategi was elected to the Senate in the 2015 Spanish general election, receiving 8.11% of the vote and taking the last of four seats for the Biscay constituency.[3] In the April 2019 Spanish general election, she was elected to the Congress of Deputies by the same constituency, where she was running as number two on Podemos's list behind Roberto Uriarte.[4] She was one of seven Podemos deputies to lose their seats in the November 2019 election.[5]
Candidate for President of the Government (2020)
editIn February 2020, Gorrotxategi was elected as Podemos Euskadi's candidate for President of the Government (Lehendakari) in the 2020 Basque regional election, leading the electoral alliance Elkarrekin Podemos (Podemos Euskadi, United Left, Greens Equo and Green Aliance). She defeated the official candidate Rosa Martínez.[6] Her selection caused the party's entire board in the region to resign, and for Greens Equo to leave the Elkarrekin Podemos coalition and run alone.[7]
In the 2020 Basque regional election, she was elected deputy of the Basque Parliament. She served as the leader and spokesperson of the Podemos-United Left-Greens Equo-Green Alliance Parliamentary Group in the parliament.
Candidate for President of the Government (2024)
edit
Gorrotxategi again ran as lead candidate for Elkarrekin Podemos (Podemos Euskadi and Green Aliance) in the 2024 Basque regional election.[8] Her party suffered a wipeout, losing all six of its seats. She apologised and considered it the wrong move to divide the vote on the left, where newcomers Sumar received only one seat. She then left politics and returned to academia.[9]
Personal life
editAs of 2020, Gorrotxategi lived in Durango and was married and had two children.[1][10] She is the sister of the tenor Andeka Gorrotxategi.[10][11] She declares herself a feminist, environmentalist and Basque speaker.[10][11] She is passionate about the political philosophy of the French Revolution.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Miren Gorrotxategi, la candidata a lehendakari de Pablo Iglesias: vecina de Urkullu y hermana de un famoso tenor". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Vizcaya - Senadores" [Biscay - Senators] (in Spanish). Europa Press. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Todos los diputados en el Congreso tras las elecciones generales del 28A" [All the deputies in Congress after the 28 April general election]. El Independiente (in Spanish). 29 April 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Así será el nuevo Congreso: sin Rivera, con un cantante de Mocedades y un abogado de los Franco" [This will be the new Congress: without Rivera, with a Mocedades singer and a Franco family lawyer] (in Spanish). RTVE. 13 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ "Miren Gorrotxategi, candidata del sector crítico a la dirección, gana las primarias" [Miren Gorrotxategi, candidate from the sector critical of the leadership, wins the primaries] (in Spanish). Cadena SER. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Gil, Iván (12 July 2020). "Podemos se desploma pese a sus ministerios: sin escaño en Galicia, irrelevante en Euskadi" [Podemos collapses despite holding ministries: no seats in Galicia, irrelevant in the Basque Country]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 February 2023.
- ^ Andueza, Iker Rioja (2024-02-02). "Gorrotxategi lanza la campaña en solitario de Podemos en Euskadi: "Somos más importantes que nunca"". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ Balenzategi, Ander (13 May 2024). "Miren Gorrotxategi deja la política «apenada por el fracaso electoral»" [Miren Gorrotxategi leaves politics "sorry for the electoral failure"]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "Miren Gorrotxategi, candidata de Elkarrekin Podemos-IU". EITB (in Spanish). 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2024-02-06.
- ^ a b c "Miren Gorrotxategi, la candidata a lehendakari de Pablo Iglesias: vecina de Urkullu y hermana de un famoso tenor". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 2020-07-08. Retrieved 2024-02-06.