The far-left Basque party EH Bildu, has a good chance of coming out on top in the regional elections on 21 April, Spanish media reported.
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.
Following 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, EFE news agency reported. Young people in particular find EH Bildu’s proposals interesting, especially regarding unemployment, the difficulties of emancipation and access to a first home.
EH Bildu “reinforces itself as a useful party capable of rejecting maximalism and extreme positions, and this is rewarded in the ballot” at a time when “social issues are more important than the (pro-independence) debate,” Braulio Gomez, professor of political science at Deusto University and director of the Deustobarómetro poll, told Spanish public television RTVE last week.
The results of the opinion poll predict that the composition of the new regional parliament (75 deputies), which will elect the sixth head of the Basque government (lehendakari), will be the most uncertain since the region’s first election campaign in 1980.
The PNV, which has been ruling for three consecutive terms except for 2009-2012, is losing ground. The party could lose 4.5 points and lose three deputies compared to 2020.
Basques are concerned about the deterioration of the health system. “Health care and the quality of other public services” tops the list of concerns, ahead of economic issues and housing problems.
Although polls indicate that there will be a tie between the PNV and EH Bildu, with a slight advantage for the left-radicals, experts believe that the most likely outcome will be a renewal of the current alliance between the PNV and the Basque Socialist Party (PSE-EE).
