BASQUE LEFT BREAKTHROUGH IN SPANISH GENERAL ELECTION | RIGHT-WING SWEEPS TO POWER AS RULING PARTY IN MADRID

Elections see Basque pro-independence coalition return highest number of MPs

BY THE DUBLIN BASQUE COMMITTEE

THE Basque people elected seven MPs of the pro-independence left in the Amaiur coalition in the Spanish general election held on November 20th. Amaiur includes the Abertzale (pro-independence) Left, Eusko Alkartasuna, Aralar and Alternatiba and had the most MPs elected in the Basque Country.
In a historic result never achieved before by the Abertzale Left, the coalition received 333,628 votes, 22.08% of the total vote in the four provinces of the southern Basque Country (under Spanish administration). For the first time too, the pro-independence forces of the Left received more votes than the conservative Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).
This result is despite the fact that Spanish general election is the least motivating election for pro-independence Basques and therefore pro-Spanish unionist parties usually get better results. Despite that and the overwhelming victory of the right-wing Popular Party throughout Spain, this has been the first time the total of nationalist votes overcame those of the unionists in a Spanish election held in the Basque Country.

Summary of the election results in the Basque Country

Amaiur
(Basque pro-independence left)
MPs    VOTES         %
7          333,628    22.08

PP-UPN
(Spanish right-wing)
MPs    VOTES        %
5        336,455     22.27

PSOE
(Spanish social-democratic)
MPs    VOTES    %
5    326,999    21.65

PNV
(Basque moderate nationalist centre-right)
MPs    VOTES         %
5          323,517     21.42

Geroa Bai
(Progressive Basque moderate nationalist)
MPs    VOTES     %
1        42,411     2.81

IU-EB
(Spanish left pro-Basque self-determination)
MPs    VOTES    %
0     61,852    4.10

The historic results obtained by Amaiur will strengthen the new strategy put in place by the Abertzale Left two years ago and backed by ETA with the announcement of the end of the armed camapaign on October 20th.
The newly-elected right-wing government in Spain will have to confront this new reality in coming months. The political prisoners’ issue and the legalisation of the Abertzale Left’s new party, Sortu, is on the agenda.