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Spanish journalist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mertxe Aizpurua Arzallus (born 18 January 1960) is a Basque journalist and politician who currently serves as Member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain.
Mertxe Aizpurua | |
|---|---|
Aizpurua in June 2023 | |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2019 | |
| Constituency | Gipuzkoa |
| Mayor of Usurbil | |
| In office 15 June 2011 – 15 June 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Xabier Mikel |
| Succeeded by | Xabier Arregi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | María de las Mercedes Aizpurua Arzallus 18 January 1960 Usurbil, Basque Country, Spain |
| Political party | EH Bildu |
| Occupation | Journalist |
Aizpurua was born on 18 January 1960 in Usurbil, Basque Country.[1][2] She has a Bachelor of Information Science degree.[1]
Aizpurua was editor of the Egin newspaper and Punto y Hora de Euskal Herria magazine.[3] In September 1983 Punto y Hora published an editorial on Basque separatist "soldiers" and an interview with a brother of an ETA separatist killed whilst handling an explosive device in Tafalla, Navarre.[4] In October 1984 the Audiencia Nacional convicted Aizpurua of "supporting terrorism" and sentenced her to one year in prison and barred her from working as a journalist for one year.[5][6][7]
Aizpurua was a journalist at the Gara newspaper since its establishment in 1999 and was a director from 1999 to 2004.[8][9] In June 2001 she was interrogated by Audiencia Nacional judge Baltasar Garzón after Gara published an interview with two ETA leaders.[10] The case against Aizpurua was finally dropped in March 2004.[11]
Aizpurua is currently director of Gara's 7K Sunday newspaper.[9][12] She is the author of Argala: Pensamiento en Acción : Vida y Escritos (2018), a biography of assassinated ETA leader Argala.[13]
Aizpurua contested the 2011 local elections as a Bildu electoral alliance candidate in Usurbil and was elected.[14] She was mayor of Usurbil from 2011 to 2015 and president of Udalbiltza (an association of municipalities from the greater Basque Country) from 2012 to 2015.[1][9] She contested the 2019 general election as an EH Bildu electoral alliance candidate in the Province of Gipuzkoa and was elected to the Congress of Deputies.[15][16]
Aizpurua is married and has a son.[1]
| Election | Constituency | Party | Alliance | No. | Result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 local[14] | Usurbil | Bildu | 1 | Elected | |||
| 2019 general[15][16] | Province of Gipuzkoa | EH Bildu | 1 | Elected | |||
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