Opposition to Francoism Ardanza started his political activity shortly after entering university, when he joined EIA, a Basque nationalist
student's union. In 1961, he joined (EGI), the youth wing of the
Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), both of which at the time were outlawed by
Francoist Spain. During his time in the underground opposition, he was known by the
pseudonym "Pimpinela". He became a member of EGI's board in 1961 or 1962, following the internal split that led to the formation of
ETA. Initially, he maintained contact with members of ETA due to their common struggle for
Basque independence, but he later distanced from ETA due to its support for violence and its adherence to the
Marxist national liberation theory. In January 1965, at the local festivals of a town, a group of young people, including some members of EGI were arrested for playing the
txistu and the drum, instruments typical of Basque folklore that represented opposition to the Francoist dictatorship. He returned to his home in Elorrio and said goodbye to his stepmother by saying, "Mom, goodbye, see you!". For a short time, he stayed in a shack with a couple members of the
Communist Party of Spain, and he then hid in a house close to
Bilbao for a month. Later, thanks to a cousin who was a member of the
Passionists, he took refuge in the Passionist convent of Euba for another month. Having entered the electoral list as an
independent, he joined the PNV later that year. His tenure was marked by political tension, which caused him a health crisis, for which he was on
sick leave for a time. While mayor of Mondragón, he was offered to lead the PNV's list for
Gipuzkoa ahead of the
1982 Spanish general election and to become minister of Labour in the first government of
Carlos Garaikoetxea, both of which he declined. Ultimately, in 1983, he was
elected member of the
General Assemblies of Gipuzkoa. ==Lehendakari (1985–1999)==