Odón Elorza

Odon Elorza González (born 4 April 1955) is a Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE-EE) politician. He was a city councillor (1979–2011) and the mayor (1991–2011) of San Sebastián. He was also a member of the Basque Parliament (1984–1991) and the Congress of Deputies (2011–).

Early life and local politics

Born in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Elorza was first elected to his hometown's city council in 1979. From 1984 to 1991 he also sat in the Basque Parliament, where he specialised in the areas of housing, infrastructure and media. He left the autonomous body after his election on 20 June that year as the first Socialist mayor of the city.[1]

As mayor, Elorza led coalitions with the Basque Nationalist Party, United Left–Greens and Aralar, all of whom are Basque nationalist. He himself took standpoints that were closer to nationalism than the official lines of his own Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)-affiliated party, including criticising the proscription of the left-wing nationalist party Batasuna.[1] Some of the projects which were completed during Elorza's mayoralty included the Kursaal Palace, the renovation of the San Telmo Museoa, the repurposing of the Tabakalera tobacco factory as a cultural centre, and the Anoeta Stadium.[1]

In the May 2011 elections, Elorza's party's vote decreased by 15 percentage points as Juan Carlos Izagirre of EH Bildu replaced him as mayor.[2]

Congress of Deputies

In September 2011, Elorza was made his party's list leader in his home province of Gipuzkoa for the Congress of Deputies election in November, where he was successful.[3][4]

In October 2016, Elorza was one of 15 Socialist deputies who rebelled against the party line when the party abstained on the vote to invest Mariano Rajoy as prime minister, with the 15 instead choosing to vote against his investiture.[5] In June 2017, he was voted to the PSOE's federal executive committee, as Secretary for Transparency and Participative Democracy.[6]

Personal life

Elorza received the Creu de Sant Jordi, the second-highest civil distinction of Catalonia, in 2006.[7]

As mayor of San Sebastián in October 2003, Elorza officiated as his PSE-EE ally in the city council, Ernesto Gasco, entered a civil partnership with Iñigo Alonso, another PSE councillor from Lasarte-Oria.[8] It was Spain's first same-sex union between elected politicians, and he also officiated two years later as the same couple became the first office-holders in a same-sex marriage.[9]

References
  1. "Biografía: Odón Elorza, 20 años como alcalde de Donostia-San Sebastián" [Biography: Odón Elorza, 20 years as mayor of Donostia-San Sebastián] (in Spanish). EiTB. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  2. "Bildu relega a Odón Elorza al segundo puesto" [Bildu relegate Odón Elorza to second place]. El Correo (in Spanish). 23 May 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  3. Limón, Raúl (6 September 2011). "Jáuregui, Madina y Elorza, cabezas de lista en el País Vasco" [Jáuregui, Madina and Elorza, list leaders in the Basque Country]. El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  4. "Elorza apuesta por una «seria autocrítica» en el congreso federal" [Elorza bets on a "serious self-criticism" in the federal congress]. El Diario Vasco (in Spanish). 10 December 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  5. Cruz, Marisa (29 October 2016). "Rajoy, investido presidente gracias a la abstención de todos los diputados del PSOE excepto 15" [Rajoy, invested as prime minister thanks to the abstention of all PSOE deputies except 15]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  6. "Odón Elorza estará en la nueva Ejecutiva Federal del PSOE que prepara Sánchez" [Odón Elorza will be in the new PSOE Federal Executive that Sánchez is preparing] (in Spanish). Naiz. 14 June 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  7. "El Gobierno otorga la Creu de Sant Jordi a 62 personalidades" [Government grants the Creu de Sant Jordi to 62 personalities]. El País (in Spanish). 19 September 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. "Se celebra en San Sebastián la primera boda gay entre dos concejales socialistas" [First gay wedding between two Socialist councillors is celebrated in San Sebastián]. ABC (in Spanish). 3 October 2003. Archived from the original on 14 March 2022. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  9. "Dos ediles del PSE protagonizan en San Sebastián la primera boda gay entre dos políticos españoles" [Two PSE councillors take part in the first gay wedding of Spanish politicians in San Sebastián]. El Mundo (in Spanish). EFE. 20 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 August 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
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