Eusko Alkartasuna
Basque Solidarity Basque: Eusko Alkartasuna Spanish: Solidaridad Vasca French: Solidarité basque | ||
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Senate 1 / 20 | ||
Basque Parliament | 3 / 75 | |
Parliament of Navarre | 2 / 50 | |
Juntas Generales | 6 / 153 | |
Municipal councils (provincial capitals)[1] | 5 / 110 | |
Website | ||
www | ||
Politics of Basque Country |
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Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque pronunciation: [eus̺ko alkartas̺una]; English: Basque Solidarity; Spanish: Solidaridad Vasca; French: Solidarité basque)[2] is a Basque nationalist[3][4] and social-democratic[4][5][6][7][8] political party operating in Spain and France. The Basque language name means Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA. The party describes itself as a "Basque nationalist, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party". The party has adopted the slogan "Euskal Sozialdemokrazia" ("Basque social democracy").[when?]
According to their statute, they are striving to achieve "full national and social freedom in and for the Basque Country". They support the creation of an independent Basque Country along the avenues provided by the European Union, as a union of peoples, a federation of nations, not states.[citation needed] The youth wing of the party is the Young Patriots (Gazte Abertzaleak).
Origin
Even though the idea for a Basque national political party separate from both Herri Batasuna and the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (PNV, Basque: Euzko Alderdi-Jeltzalea, "Basque Nationalist Party") emerged in 1986, it was not until 1987 that the first congress of the party was held in Pamplona-Iruña in 1987. Carlos Garaikoetxea was then elected as the party's first president.
The split from the PNV was based on:
- A personality clash between the Garaikoetxea (who went to form EA) and the PNV leader Xabier Arzalluz.
- The configuration of the Basque Country: A strong Basque governmentand weak provinces (EA) / Strong provinces (PNV).
- social-democratic (EA) / Christian-democratic (PNV)
The split was particularly bitter given that the new party was headed by the lehendakari himself. Every local organization had to vote on whether to go to EA or remain in PNV. Many PNV political bars (batzoki, "meeting place") became alkartetxe ("mutual house"). Ramón Doral, an ertzain (Basque policeman) closely connected to PNV was convicted of wiretapping EA leaders for PNV.
Name
When dissident members of the
The standard Basque for "solidarity" is elkartasun. Alkartasun is a Gipuzkoan[9] form. At the time of foundation, "EE" was used by Euskadiko Ezkerra; this alternative form of the word was used so as not to have two parties with the same initials.
Recent years and representation
Basque Autonomous Community
In 1991, after the merger of Euskadiko Ezkerra with the PSOE, a small group of dissidents from that defunct party grouped under the name Euskal Ezkerra and went to join EA.
EA lost nearly 50% of its electoral support between 1986 and 1998 (from 15.84% to 8.69% in the Basque Autonomous Community[10] and from 7.1% to 4.56% in Navarre).[11] In 2009, EA obtained its worst to date results in this Autonomous Community (3.68% of the total votes) and only one MP at the regional Basque parliament (down from seven MPs in the previous election).[12]
With the schism produced after the 2009 elections (
In Navarre, where Basque nationalism is minority, EA run in a coalition with the PNV in 1999 and 2003 in order to maximize the results of Basque nationalism in this Foral Community. Then in 2004 EA ceased to run regional elections by itself and went to form the coalition
Relations with the PNV in the Basque Autonomous Community
By 1991, helped by the fact that both opposing characters Arzalluz and Garaikoetxea had gone into political retirement, time had eased the bitter split from the PNV and both parties agreed to form an electoral coalition in a number of regional and local elections as a means to maximize the nationalist votes, which eventually led them to present a joint list for the regional governments of the Basque Autonomous Community in 1998.
Thus, EA has participated since in several PNV-led Basque regional governments. Still, that option was ruled out when EA decided to run again by itself in the municipal elections of May 2007, taking 7% of the vote in the Basque Autonomous Community.
The party split between those advocating for the breakup with the PNV and aiming at the independentist radical vote and those (especially the Gipuzkoa ranks) who would have preferred to keep the pact with the PNV. Eventually the election supposed a severe setback for EA, which obtained only one MP at the Basque regional parliament and its lowest support to date. Unai Ziarreta, then leader and proponent of parting ways with the PNV resigned as a result and EA started a period marked by internal unrest[12]
At the Spanish Parliament
In the
European Parliament
EA called for a "No" vote on the
Eusko Alkartasuna has coalesced with Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) for elections to European Parliament. EA's Mikel Irujo is MEP since July 2007 till July 2009 for the European Free Alliance.
2009 Schism
EA's support in Basque politics has greatly diminished since it was created in 1986 as a schism of the Basque Nationalist Party. In 2009, the party held one MP at the Basque regional parliament and some 20
Following poor results in the latest Basque Autonomous Community elections, the party split amid bitter recriminations. The majority upheld the existing strategy of distancing the party from the PNV and a rapprochement with the left-wing pro-independence movement, but a critical current, consisting of around 35% of the party's members, who stood for a return to a milder brand of Basque nationalism and the renewal of ties with the PNV,[18] announced their decision to leave EA and form a new party, the short-lived Hamaikabat (a Basque language pun meaning variety and unity, brief H1!). Most of the members of the breakaway group were from the province of Gipuzkoa, hitherto considered EA's main stronghold.
After ETA's permanent ceasefire declarations (2010-2011), EA confirmed its alliance with other Basque nationalist left forces, a move resulting in the establishment of the electoral platform Bildu (2011) and the coalition EH Bildu (2012) under the leadership of Peio Urizar.
Electoral performance
Basque Parliament
Basque Parliament | ||||||
Election | Leading candidate | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Carlos Garaikoetxea | 181,175 | 15.77 (#4) | 13 / 75
|
13 | Opposition |
1990 | 115,703 | 11.30 (#4) | 9 / 75
|
4 | Coalition (1990–1991) | |
Opposition (1991–1994) | ||||||
1994 | 105,136 | 10.13 (#5) | 8 / 75
|
1 | Coalition | |
1998 | 108,635 | 8.57 (#5) | 6 / 75
|
2 | Coalition | |
2001 | Juan José Ibarretxe | Within PNV–EA | 7 / 75
|
1 | Coalition | |
2005 | Within PNV–EA | 8 / 75
|
1 | Coalition | ||
2009 | Unai Ziarreta | 38,198 | 3.65 (#5) | 1 / 75
|
7 | Opposition |
2012 | Laura Mintegi | Within EH Bildu | 4 / 75
|
3 | Opposition | |
2016 | Arnaldo Otegi[a] | Within EH Bildu | 4 / 75
|
0 | Opposition |
Parliament of Navarre | ||||||
Election | Leading candidate | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Iñaki Cabasés | 19,840 | 7.00 (#5) | 4 / 50
|
4 | Opposition |
1991 | Fermín Ciaurriz | 15,170 | 5.52 (#4) | 3 / 50
|
1 | Opposition |
1995 | 13,568 | 4.57 (#6) | 2 / 50
|
1 | Coalition (1995–1996) | |
Opposition (1996–1999) | ||||||
1999 | Begoña Errazti | Within EA–PNV
|
2 / 50
|
0 | Opposition | |
2003 | Within EA–PNV
|
3 / 50
|
1 | Opposition | ||
2007 | Patxi Zabaleta | Within NaBai | 4 / 50
|
1 | Opposition | |
2011 | Maiorga Ramírez
|
Within Bildu
|
3 / 50
|
1 | Opposition | |
2015 | Adolfo Araiz | Within EH Bildu | 3 / 50
|
0 | Coalition |
Notes
- ^ Sortu Secretary-General Arnaldo Otegi was proclaimed as EH Bildu's leading candidate on 24 May 2016, having left the Logroño prison on 1 March after serving his full prison sentence imposed for attempting to reorganize the banned Batasuna party. On 24 August, the Gipuzkoa Provincial Electoral Commission disqualified Otegi due to a legal barring from holding any public office still in force until 2021. Subsequently, EH Bildu did not elect an alternative candidate to replace Otegi, though journalist Maddalen Iriarte—second in EH Bildu Gipuzkoa's list—went on to top the list as provided for in Article 65.2 of the Electoral Law of the Basque Country.
References
- eldiario.es.
- ISBN 978-1-4833-3328-1
- ISBN 978-1-134-16769-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7486-3991-5.
- ]
- ISBN 978-0-8122-4497-7.
- ISBN 978-1-136-20586-6.
- ^ "Euskararen Herri Hizkeren Atlasa (EHHA)". www.euskaltzaindia.eus. Retrieved 23 December 2023.
- ^ Official results of elections held in the Basque Autonomous Community Archived 7 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Parlamento de Navarra/Nafarroako Parlamentua - Inicio". Archived from the original on 1 October 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ a b Ediciones El País (8 March 2009). "EA libra una guerra fratricida". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ a b Ediciones El País (3 June 2009). "Un proyecto menguante". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- El País, 3 June 2009.
- ^ Ministerio del Interior – Resultados Electorales Archived 24 March 2010 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Unidad Editorial Internet, S.L. "EA 'rompe' con el PNV y concurrirá en solitario a las próximas autonómicas". Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ Ediciones El País (10 June 2009). "Galdos admite que votó a la lista del PNV en las europeas". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
- ^ Ediciones El País (2 June 2009). "Los críticos de EA agradecen la oferta de colaboración lanzada por el PNV". EL PAÍS. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
External links
- official website of Eusko Alkartasuna (contains an English-language section)
- Gazte Abertzaleak or young patriots, the Eusko Alkartasuna youth group (only in Basque and Spanish)
- Rioja Andueza, Iker; Otazu, Amaia (19 October 2019). "Guía para no perderse en la crisis de Eusko Alkartasuna, un partido dividido y que discute su papel en EH Bildu". eldiario.es (in Spanish).