Uxue Barkos

Who is Uxue Barkos?

Uxue Barkos Berruezo is a Spanish journalist and politician who currently represents the Basque coalition Nafarroa Bai, i.e. in euskera Yes to Navarre, in the Spanish Parliament.

Barkos graduated in Information Sciences at the University of Navarra. She worked as a newsreader on Spanish National Radio and for Televisión Española, the state run television stations. She also worked for the newspaper Navarra Hoy and since 1990 has worked for the main Basque broadcaster Euskal Telebista.

In 2004, in order to maximise the Basque vote, the individual parties Aralar, Eusko Alkartasuna, Batzarre and the Partido Nacionalista Vasco agreed to form the coalition Navarra Yes to contest the Navarre constituency, an area where Basque nationalism had historically been weakest. Barkos, who was not a member of any of the parties, was selected to head the list at the 2004 Spanish General Election. The list polled 18%, which represented the highest vote share for any Basque list since democracy was restored in 1977. In Congress she has worked to promote Basque language and culture in Navarra, although she has been criticised by Batasuna, which is not part of the NB coalition. In Congress she was also a member of the Commission which investigated the 2004 Madrid train bombings.