José Javier Esparza

José Javier Esparza Abaurrea (born 20 July 1970) is a Spanish politician of the Navarrese People's Union (UPN). He has been president of his party since 2015, the same year that he entered the Parliament of Navarre. Biography Born in Pamplona, Esparza graduated in pedagogy from the University of Navarra and has a master's degree in Public Management from the Public University of Navarre. He began teaching in a primary school in 1996. From 1999 to 2007, Esparza was mayor of Agoitz. For the next four years, he was the managing director of the Navarrese Institute of Sport, then of the Navarrese Employment Service. In June 2012, he was named Minister of Rural Development, Environment and Local Administration in the Government of Navarre. Esparza became a member of the Navarrese People's Union (UPN) executive committee in 2013. In November 2014, he received 61% of the votes to lead the party in the 2015 Navarrese regional election. In those elections, his party was the most voted but lost four seats, losing power for the first time in 19 years.