Basque Parliament

The Basque Parliament (Basque: Eusko Legebiltzarra, Spanish: Parlamento Vasco) is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible.

The Parliament meets in the Basque capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, although the first session of the modern assembly, as constituted by the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, was held in Guernica – the symbolic centre of Basque freedoms – on 31 March 1980. Later in 1980 it started meeting at the premises of the Council of Álava. In 1982, it got its own site in a former high school. The symbol of the Parliament is an oaken sculpture by Nestor Basterretxea representing a stylized tree, an allusion to the tradition of Basque political assemblies meeting under a tree, as in Guernica.

It is composed of seventy-five deputies representing citizens from the three provinces of the Basque autonomous community. Each province (Álava, Gipuzkoa and Biscay) elects the same number of deputies, despite their having very different levels of population. This was chosen to earn support from Álava and Navarre, less populated territories. Still, Navarre did not join the autonomous community.

The elections are held using closed list proportional representation with seats allocated on a Provincial basis using the D'Hondt method of allocation. To qualify for seats in a particular province, electoral lists must receive at least 3% of the votes cast in that province, including votes "en blanco" for "none of the above." From 1984 to 2001, the election threshold was 5% in each province. Sessions of the Basque Parliament are conducted in both Basque and Spanish, with translation services.

The Parliament consists of 75 deputies elected by universal adult suffrage under a system of proportional representation.

Membership

Results of the elections to the Basque Parliament

Deputies in the Basque Parliament since 1980
Key to parties   HB   PCTV/EHAK   PCE/EPK   EH   Aralar   EB–B   EA   EE   EH BilduTemplate:Efn   EH BilduTemplate:Efn   Elkarrekin Podemos   Sumar (EzAn–IU)   PSE-EE   UPyD   PNV–EA   EAJ/PNV   PP+Cs   PP   UCD   AP–PDP–UL   CDS   Alavese Unity   AP–PL   Vox
Election	Distribution	Lehendakari
1980	style="background:Template:Party color; width:11em; color:white;" | 11 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9 style="background:Template:Party color; width:25em; color:white;" | 25 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:2em; color:white;" | 2	Carlos Garaikoetxea (EAJ/PNV)	rowspan="9" style="background:Template:Party color;"|
		José Antonio Ardanza (EAJ/PNV)
1984	style="background:Template:Party color; width:11em; color:white;" | 11 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:19em; color:white;" | 19 style="background:Template:Party color; width:32em; color:white;" | 32 style="background:Template:Party color; width:7em; color:white;" | 7
1986	style="background:Template:Party color; width:13em; color:white;" | 13 style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9 style="background:Template:Party color; width:19em; color:white;" | 19 style="background:Template:Party color; width:13em; color:white;" | 13 style="background:Template:Party color; width:17em; color:white;" | 17 style="background:Template:Party color; width:2em; color:white;" | 2 style="background:Template:Party color; width:2em; color:white;" | 2
1990	style="background:Template:Party color; width:13em; color:white;" | 13 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:16em; color:white;" | 16 style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9 style="background:Template:Party color; width:22em; color:white;" | 22 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:3em; color:white;" | 3
1994	style="background:Template:Party color; width:11em; color:white;" | 11 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:12em; color:white;" | 12 style="background:Template:Party color; width:8em; color:white;" | 8 style="background:Template:Party color; width:22em; color:white;" | 22 style="background:Template:Party color; width:11em; color:white;" | 11 style="background:Template:Party color; width:5em; color:white;" | 5
1998	style="background:Template:Party color; width:14em; color:white;" | 14 style="background:Template:Party color; width:2em; color:white;" | 2 style="background:Template:Party color; width:14em; color:white;" | 14 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:21em; color:white;" | 21 style="background:Template:Party color; width:16em; color:white;" | 16 style="background:Template:Party color; width:2em; color:white;" | 2	Juan José Ibarretxe (EAJ/PNV)
2001	style="background:Template:Party color; width:7em; color:white;" | 7 style="background:Template:Party color; width:3em; color:white;" | 3 style="background:Template:Party color; width:13em; color:white;" | 13 style="background:Template:Party color; width:33em; color:white;" | 33 style="background:Template:Party color; width:19em; color:white;" | 19
2005	style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:3em; color:white;" | 3 style="background:Template:Party color; width:18em; color:white;" | 18 style="background:Template:Party color; width:29em; color:white;" | 29 style="background:Template:Party color; width:15em; color:white;" | 15
2009	style="background:Template:Party color; width:4em; color:white;" | 4 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:25em; color:white;" | 25 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:30em; color:white;" | 30 style="background:Template:Party color; width:13em; color:white;" | 13	Patxi López (PSE–EE)	style="background:Template:Party color;"|
2012	style="background:Template:Party color; width:21em; color:white;" | 21 style="background:Template:Party color; width:16em; color:white;" | 16 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:27em; color:white;" | 27 style="background:Template:Party color; width:10em; color:white;" | 10	Iñigo Urkullu (EAJ/PNV)	rowspan="4" style="background:Template:Party color;"|
2016	style="background:Template:Party color; width:18em; color:white;" | 18 style="background:Template:Party color; width:11em; color:white;" | 11 style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9 style="background:Template:Party color; width:28em; color:white;" | 28 style="background:Template:Party color; width:9em; color:white;" | 9
2020	style="background:Template:Party color; width:21em; color:white;" | 21 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:10em; color:white;" | 10 style="background:Template:Party color; width:31em; color:white;" | 31 style="background:Template:Party color; width:6em; color:white;" | 6 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1
2024	style="background:Template:Party color; width:27em; color:white;" | 27 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1 style="background:Template:Party color; width:12em; color:white;" | 12 style="background:Template:Party color; width:27em; color:white;" | 27 style="background:Template:Party color; width:7em; color:white;" | 7 style="background:Template:Party color; width:1em; color:white;" | 1	Imanol Pradales (EAJ/PNV)

File:Parlamento vasco 3.jpg

Antiguo Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu

See also

• List of Basque presidents (known as Lehendakari), heads of the Basque government
• List of presidents of the Basque Parliament

External links

• Official website of the Basque Parliament (in Basque and Spanish)