Aitor Esteban Bravo (born 21 June 1962) is a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

jurist and politician. He is the president 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 ...

since March 2025 and was from 2012 to 2025 the party's

Spokesperson A spokesperson, spokesman, or spokeswoman is someone engaged or elected to speak on behalf of others. Duties and function In the present media-sensitive world, many organizations are increasingly likely to employ professionals who have receiv ...

in 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 ...

Biography

Esteban's mother is from the

Province of Soria Soria is a Province (Spain), province of central Spain, in the eastern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile-Leon, Castile and León. Most of the province is in the mountainous Sistema Ibérico area. Demo ...

and his father is from the

Province of Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilbao. Biscay is one of the most renowned and prosperou ...

. Esteban studied in the Corazón de María School 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 ...

and he studied baccalaureate in the Central High School of Bilbao. Later, he studied law in the

University of Deusto The University of Deusto (; ) is a Spanish private university owned by the Society of Jesus, with campuses in Bilbao and San Sebastián, and the Deusto Business School branch in Madrid. The University of Deusto is the oldest private university ...

. He supports the

Basque independence Basque independence is the principle and a movement for autonomy or self government for the Basque Country, independent of the Government of Spain and the Government of France. Constitutional background After a period of self-government, th ...

but he also considers himself as very

pragmatic Pragmatism is a philosophical movement. Pragmatism or pragmatic may also refer to: * "Pragmaticism", Charles Sanders Peirce's post-1905 branch of philosophy * Pragmatics, a subfield of linguistics and semiotics * ''Pragmatics'' (journal), an aca ...

. Esteban holds a PhD in Law from the University of Deusto and has been a professor at the same university of the subjects of ''Constitutional Law and the Institutional System of the Basque Country'', ''Administrative Law'' and ''Indigenous History and Culture of North America and Mesoamerica''. He is also an expert in

Native American Culture Native American cultures across the 574 current federally recognized tribes in the United States, can vary considerably by language, beliefs, customs, practices, laws, art forms, traditional clothing, and other facets of culture. Yet along wi ...

and a scholar of the native legislation. He is married to Itxaso Atutxa, a high-ranking member of the Basque Nationalist Party. They have two children.

Political career

Esteban joined the

(PNV) at the age of 16 and in 1983 he was appointed Secretary of the youth branch of the PNV. Two years he was appointed representative of the PNV's General Assembly and in 1991 he was appointed Spokesperson and Secretary of the Presidency of the General Assembly 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 ...

. From 1995 to 2003 he was the President (or Speaker) of the General Assembly of Biscay. Esteban made the leap to national politics in 2004 when he was elected MP to the

for

in the 2004 general election. He was re-elected in the general elections of

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

April April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian and Julian calendars. Its length is 30 days. April is commonly associated with the season of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, where it is the ...

and November 2019, and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. In 2012 he was appointed

of the Basque Group in Congress a position he held until March 2025. In March 2025 Esteban was elected president of the PNV as successor of

Andoni Ortuzar Andoni Ortuzar Arruabarrena (born 13 July 1962) is a Spanish politician from the Basque Country and journalist, and was from 2013 to 2025 the president of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV). Early life Andoni Ortuzar was born on 13 July 196 ...

References

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