# Lehendakari > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lehendakari > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Lehendakari.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehendakari > Source revision: 1288603395 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Head of government of the Basque Autonomous Community President of the Basque government Eusko Jaurlaritzako lehendakaria Coat of arms of Basque Country Incumbent Imanol Pradales since 22 June 2024 Style Excelentísimo Señor (m), Excelentísima Señora (f) Jaun Txit Agurgarria (m), Andere Txit Agurgarria (f) Residence Ajuria Enea Seat Lehendakaritza, Vitoria-Gasteiz Nominator Basque Parliament Appointer The Monarch countersigned by the Prime Minister Term length Four years Inaugural holder José Antonio Aguirre Formation 6 October 1936 Website www.euskadi.eus/eusko-jaurlaritza/lehendakaritza/ Politics of Basque Country Statutes of Autonomy 1936 1979 Ibarretxe Plan President Lehendakari (List) Iñigo Urkullu Parliament Eusko Legebiltzarra President Bakartxo Tejeria Judiciary High Tribunal of Justice Ombudsman Public order Home Office Basque Police - Ertzaintza Municipal police - Udaltzaingoa Political parties Parliamentary parties PNV, EH Bildu, PSE-EE, PP, UPyD Former political parties Aralar, Batasuna, EMK, DCV-EKD, EE, EuE, EIA, EA, EAE-ANV, EB-B, HASI, HZ Elections Recent elections Parliamentary: 2016 2020 2024 Referendums: 1933 1979 Administrative divisions Provinces Gipuzkoa Biscay Álava Comarcas Municipalities Other countries v t e The **President of the Basque Government** ([Basque](/source/Basque_language): *Eusko Jaurlaritzako Lehendakaria*, Spanish: *Lehendakari del Gobierno Vasco*), usually known in the Basque language as the **Lehendakari** ([Basque](/source/Basque_language): *lehendakari*, Spanish: *lendakari*), is the [head of government](/source/Head_of_government) of the [Basque Autonomous Community](/source/Basque_Autonomous_Community). The lehendakari leads the [executive branch](/source/Executive_(government)) of the regional government. The current lehendakari is [Imanol Pradales](/source/Imanol_Pradales), of the [Basque Nationalist Party](/source/Basque_Nationalist_Party). The Basque noun *lehendakari* means "president" and can refer to the president of any country, club, association etc.[1] ## History of the term The term *lehendakari* is a 20th-century coinage, from the Basque *lehendabizi* ("first") and the [suffix](/source/Suffix) -*ari* which indicates a profession. Before the establishment of [Standard Basque](/source/Standard_Basque) in the 1970s, it was spelled *Euzko Jaurlaritzaren Lendakari*. Both *lendakari* (president) and *jaurlaritza* (government) are Basque [neologisms](/source/Neologism) created by members of the [Basque Nationalist Party](/source/Basque_Nationalist_Party). The generic Basque words for "[president](/source/President_(government_title))" and "government" are both *lehendakari(a)* and *presidente(a)* for the former, and *gobernu(a)* for the latter, being *presidente(a)* and *gobernu(a)* words loaned from [Latin](/source/Latin). Since the very moment when the noun *lehendakari* was coined, both *lehendakari(a)* and *presidente(a)* have been used as perfect synonyms to refer to the head of any public or private government organ.[2] So *lehendakari*, in Basque language, is not only the name of the president of the Basque autonomous community,[3] but also the name officially used to refer to the head of the Chartered Community of Navarre,[4] the head of a parliament,[5] the head of a rugby club,[6] the head of a hiring board,[7] the head of a board of directors,[8] etcetera. On the other hand, the word *lehendakari* is commonly used in Spanish, both in and outside the Basque region, to refer exclusively to the Basque president, comparable to the use of [Taoiseach](/source/Taoiseach) as the title of the Irish [head of government](/source/Head_of_government) in English. Lehendakaris elected for the [PNV](/source/Basque_Nationalist_Party) have sworn office following a ritual established by Aguirre: next to the [Guernica Tree](/source/Guernica_Tree), on a Bible in Basque, using a symbolic formula which reads "before God, prostrated, standing on Basque land, remembering the ancestors, under the Guernica Tree and before you, representatives of the Basque people, I swear thus, to fulfill the mandate granted to me as Lehendakari, and will thus be duly protecting and respective of the laws of this land". Former lehendakari [Patxi López](/source/Patxi_L%C3%B3pez) used a similar formula in the same place, but also included visible changes to it by suppressing the "before God, prostrated" part and the fact that he sworn on a [Basque Statute of Autonomy](/source/Basque_Statute_of_Autonomy) rather than on a Bible.[9] ## See also - [List of Lehendakaris](/source/List_of_Lehendakaris) - [Ajuria Enea](/source/Ajuria_Enea) - [Basque Government](/source/Basque_Government) - [Basque Parliament](/source/Basque_Parliament) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Mitxelena, Koldo (1987–2005). [*Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia / Diccionario Vasco*](http://www.euskaltzaindia.net/oeh). Euskaltzaindia. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** See the abundant examples in the *Orotariko Euskal Hiztegia* dictionary entry of *lehendakari*: "Presidente. "Lendakari aukeratu zuten" Gte Erd 60. Euzko-Antzerti-Bazkunaren Lendakarijari. EEs 1911, 116. Gipuzkoako Diputazioko lendakari Julian Elorza jaunak. Muj PAm 9. Azkenengo ogasunzaia Antonio Alzibar eta lenbiziko lendakaria Bruno Larrazabal jaunak izan ziran. Eguzk RIEV 1927, 435n. Agur, Arana Goiri, geure lendakari / zintzo ta ona zaren jeltzale gurgarri. Enb 125. ["Eusko-Ikaskuntza"-ko] lendakariak batzarre-itxitzea yo zun. Ldi IL 94. Colombiako lendakari izana. PMuj Y 1934, 165. Obispoa zan, baño baita erri gizon bezela, lendakari edo agintari nagusi ere. Munita 32. Oraintsu arte bera izan da Luistarren lendakaria Itziar-en. Basarri 29. Ajuria'tar Kepa lendakaritzako. BEnb NereA 69. Agirre lendakari bikañari. Ugalde Iltz 3. Ez aiñ gutxi-etsi, lendakari baiño gutxiagoko zerbaiti eder-etsiaz. Berron Kijote 91. En DFrec hay 149 ejs. (2 septentrionales) de lehendakari y 23 de lendakari. v. tbn. Lendakari: JBDei 1919, 318. EEs 1920, 109 y 1924, 133. NEtx Nola 11. (Como primer miembro de comp.). Lendakari-aulki atzean lau ate-morroi, soin-ertzak urrez aski-apaindurik. Ldi IL 21. Lendakari-mai aurretik mintzategi bat dago. Ib. 25 (en ambos casos se refiere al Parlamento español)." 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** See [the official website of the president of the Basque autonomous community.](http://www.lehendakari.euskadi.net/r57-6449/en/) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** See the [page of the Presidency of the Government of Navarre.](http://www.navarra.es/home_eu/Gobierno+de+Navarra/Organigrama/El+Presidente/La+institucion/) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** See the official pages of both [the head of the Parliament of the Chartered Community of Navarre](http://www.parlamento-navarra.es/hasiera/lehendakariaren-agurra.aspx) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20111016104244/http://www.parlamento-navarra.es/hasiera/lehendakariaren-agurra.aspx) 16 October 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) and [the head of the Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community.](http://www.parlamento.euskadi.net/fichas/e_288.html) [Deprecated link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Archive.today_guidance) archived 29 June 2012 at [archive.today](/source/Archive.today) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** For example, the president of the Ordizia Rugby Club [is referred to as *klubeko lehendakari* (president of the club) in the official website of this club.](http://www.ordiziarugby.com/content/view/871/lang,eus/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20110724025952/http://www.ordiziarugby.com/content/view/871/lang,eus/) 24 July 2011 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** See, for example, [this announcement published in the Official Bulletin of the Basque Autonomous Community.](http://www.euskadi.net/cgi-bin_k54/ver_e?CMD=VERDOC&BASE=B03D&DOCN=000097005&CONF=/config/k54/bopv_e.cnf) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20140910215759/http://www.euskadi.net/cgi-bin_k54/ver_e?CMD=VERDOC&BASE=B03D&DOCN=000097005&CONF=%2Fconfig%2Fk54%2Fbopv_e.cnf) 10 September 2014 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** See, for example, [this page that lists the members of the Board of Directors of the company Egunkaria SA.](http://egunkaria.info/?p=106) Juan Mari Torrealdai is *Administrazio Kontseiluko lehendakaria* (President of the Board of Directors). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [«López promete el cargo en Gernika sin humillarse ante dios»](http://www.publico.es/espana/223929/lopez/prometera/cargo/gernika/alusiones/religiosas), *Publico*, 7 May 2009. v t e Departments of the Basque Government Lehendakaritza (President's Office) Economic Development Justice and Public Administration Security Treasury and Finance Environment and Regional Policy Education, Language policy and Culture Health v t e Current presidents of the autonomous communities of Spain Andalusia: Moreno (PP) Aragon: Azcón (PP) Asturias: Barbón (PSOE) Balearic Islands: Prohens (PP) Basque Country: Pradales (EAJ/PNV) Canary Islands: Clavijo (CC) Cantabria: Sáenz de Buruaga (PP) Castilla–La Mancha: García-Page (PSOE) Castile and León: Fernández Mañueco (PP) Catalonia: Illa (PSOE) Extremadura: Guardiola (PP) Galicia: Rueda (PP) La Rioja: Capellán (PP) Community of Madrid: Díaz Ayuso (PP) Region of Murcia: López Miras (PP) Navarre: Chivite (PSOE) Valencian Community: Pérez Llorca (PP) Ceuta:1 Vivas (PP) Melilla:1 Imbroda (PP) 1 Autonomous cities. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Lehendakari](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehendakari) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lehendakari?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.