José Antonio Ardanza

José Antonio Ardanza Garro
Lehendakari of the Basque Country
In office 2 March 1985 – 2 January 1999
Vice President	Javier García Egotxeaga (1985-1987) Ramón Jaúregui (1987-1991) Jon Imanol Azúa (1991-1995) Juan José Ibarretxe (1995-1999)
Preceded by	Carlos Garaikoetxea
Succeeded by	Juan José Ibarretxe
Personal details
Born	(1941-06-10) 10 June 1941 Elorrio, Biscay, Spain
Political party	PNV

José Antonio Ardanza Garro is a former Spanish politician that became the second elected Lehendakari (President of the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain after the approval of the Statute of Autonomy. He was in office between 1985 and 1999.

Politics

In 1985, the Basque Parliament chose Ardanza as its new president. Spanning several legislatures, Ardanza's presidency continued until 1999. He continued the work on self-government begun by his predecessor, concentrating particularly on social and economic development, modernizing the region, and claiming greater levels of self-government. Much of Ardanza's time and effort was also aimed at delivering peace to the region and to denouncing the terrorism of ETA. One achievement was the Pact of Ajuria Enea, subscribed to by virtually all the political parties in the region and designed to create a normal political environment in the Basque Country by eradicating violence. The modernization of the Basque Country that occurred under Ardanza’s mandate facilitated further economic and social development that gave Basque society levels of wealth and welfare comparable to those of numerous other Western European regions.