Richard Irazusta dies aged 66
- He participated in the Lizarra-Garazi agreement as a representative of the Union of Patriots. He was a spokesman for that party. He was elected to the French Parliament in 1988, 1993, 1995 and 1997. For the last ten years he has been Deputy Minister of Hendaye.
After a long illness, the Hendayan politician Richard Irazusta died at the age of 66. He has been one of the most popular representatives of the patriotic movement in the Northern Basque Country.
Irazusta has been elected in Hendaye since 2008, in agreement with the socialist Kotte Ezenarro, and has held the position of vice-minister since 2014. His political career, however, began in the 1980s. In 1986, representing the Left Nationalist Movement (EMA), he appeared for the first time in regional votes; and two years later, he appeared on the lists for the French Parliament on behalf of the EMA. After that, the EMA formed a coalition with the EA, the Basque Union and other organizations; this group was called the Patriotic Union (AB) – changes were made within the coalition in the 1990s, among other reasons because the EA turned to the PNV. Irazusta was a well-known AB elephant.
In 1998, Irazusta was one of the initiators of the historic Lizarra-Garazi agreement. He represented AB at this table, along with Merche Colina, and, of course, along with representatives of various political parties, trade unions and popular movements in the Basque Country.
He interviewed Irazusta in June 2001. While acknowledging that the Lizarra-Garazi agreement was in a "time of crisis", he stressed that: "The hope that has arisen in the people cannot be completely rejected. Despite the difficult times, talking together and thinking about a common project, this scheme, is and will be present."
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