Carlos Garaikoetxea, first lehendakari of the Basque Government in democratic Spain, died on Monday at 87 from a heart attack in Pamplona. The Basque Government has declared three days of official mourning. A key figure in the Basque transition, he negotiated the Statute of Gernika and founded Eusko Alkartasuna after breaking with the PNV.
Carlos Garaikoetxea Urriza, born in Pamplona in 1938, died on Monday, May 4, 2026, from a heart attack in his hometown, as reported by several outlets. A lawyer trained in London and Paris, he joined the PNV in the 1970s through Manuel de Irujo and was elected party president in 1977 after the Pamplona Assembly.
As president of the Basque General Council, he led negotiations for the Statute of Gernika with Adolfo Suárez, approved in 1979. In 1980, he became the first lehendakari after the regional elections, serving until 1985. During his term, he established institutions like the Ertzaintza, Basque Health Service, and EiTB, and managed crises such as the 1983 Bilbao floods, which killed 34 and caused 1.2 billion euros in damage.
Tensions with Xabier Arzalluz led to his resignation in 1984 and the founding of Eusko Alkartasuna in 1986, the PNV's biggest democratic crisis. EA won 13 seats in that year's regional elections. It later joined EH Bildu until 2025.
The Basque Government declared three days of mourning. Lehendakari Imanol Pradales called him the “architect of self-government and Basque welfare,” a “Navarrese, euskaldun, abertzale, and democrat.” Pedro Sánchez described him as a “fundamental figure who decisively contributed to consolidating freedom in Euskadi.” Iñigo Urkullu and Patxi López also praised his leadership and legacy.
