Far-left close to victory in  Basque election

The far-left Basque party EH-Bildu, branded by the right and far-right as the “political arm” of the now-defunct terrorist group ETA, could come first in the regional elections on 21 April.

Founded in 2012, EH Bildu is a coalition of pro-independence and nationalist Basque parties with six representatives in the Spanish parliament, led by former ETA member Arnaldo Otegi.

Since the return of democracy to Spain (1975-1976) and the creation of the so-called ‘State of Autonomies’, a quasi-federal model developed between 1979 and 1995, these Basque elections are set to be the closest in recent history, Euractiv’s partner EFE reported.

Young people, in particular, find EH Bildu’s proposals interesting, especially regarding unemployment, the difficulty of emancipation and access to a first home.

EH-Bildu “is consolidating itself as a useful party, capable of renouncing maximalism and extreme positions, and this is being rewarded at the ballot box” at a time when “social issues are more important than the (pro-independence) debate,” Braulio Gómez, professor of political science at the University of Deusto and director of the Deustobarómetro poll, told Spanish public television RTVE last week.

A new PNV-Socialist government?

Polls predict that the composition of the new regional parliament (with 75 deputies), which will elect the sixth Basque head of government (lehendakari), will be the most uncertain since the region’s first election campaign in 1980.

Although polls suggest a tie between the PNV and EH-Bildu, with a slight advantage for the radical left, experts say the most likely outcome is a renewal of the current alliance between the PNV and the Basque Socialist Party (PSE-EE).

PNV has governed with the PSE-EE in a well-consolidated coalition for the last two legislatures.

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)

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