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Bildu obtains impressive results in the elections

26.05.2011 | Basque Info

The electoral coalition of Bildu –formed by EA, Alternatiba and independent socialists and pro-independence– has gained excellent results on Sunday in the municipal and provincial elections in Euskal Herria (the Basque Country).

Bildu’s results can be seen as a huge step taken towards a new political scenario in Euskal Herrio. The coalition received 313,000 votes across Euskal Herria and it is now the party with the largest number of councillors across the nation. Those results are of a historic significance exceeding all those previously won by the Pro-independence Left to date.

Bildu supporters celebrate the results

With regard to territory, Bildu obtained its best results in Gipuzkoa province, coming first far ahead of the second. Also notable are the results obtained in the provinces of Bizkaia (Biscay) and Araba, where the coalition came in second and third respectively. The coalition also surged ahead in Nafarroa (Navarre) province, where it won control of a number of town councils and seven representatives in the provincial council, a better result than was predicted in many of the pre-election polls.

The results in these elections indicate a substantial tipping in the Basque political panorama. They have shoown that, given a level playing field, pro-independence is the majority sentiment in the country and that the picture of the country emerging over the past few years has been completely manipulated by use of the Political Parties Law and by the apartheid imposed upon one important section of Basque society.

But the results have not been equally positive for all the parties. While the PNV (nationalist Christian democrats) and the PP (Right-wing Spanish) have survived fairly well, the PSOE (Spanish social-democratic) has suffered a hard reverse. Other smaller parties such as Aralar or EB have received varied results. Yesterday, nearly all the parties were carrying out a first evaluation of the results.

It is worth noting, as many have commented, that the Spanish courts wished to ban a poltical option to which the people of Euskal Herria, its citizens in the polling booths, have given their majority support. Also to remember that those same courts banned Sortu and that more than 40,000 Basque citizens have been forbidden from being candidates’ in these elections because those same courts prevent it. Therefore the Abertzale Left notes that although an important step has been taken towards a democratic setting there is still some road to travel before all the citizens of Euskal Herria are treated as full citizens.


Original version:
Basque Info on Facebook
May 26, 2011


Foto:
Martin Garitano, Pello Urizar, Ikerne Badiola and Oskar Matute
celebrate Bildu's election results in Donostia (San Sebastian).
(Juan Carlos RUIZ/ARGAZKI PRESS)