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EH Bildu, short for Euskal Herria Bildu (
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...
: 'Basque Country Gather' or 'Basque Country Unite'), is a
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
,
Basque nationalist Basque nationalism ( ; ; ) is a form of nationalism that asserts that Basques, an ethnic group indigenous to the western Pyrenees, are a nation and promotes the political unity of the Basques, today scattered between Spain and France. Since ...
and pro-independence federation of political parties in Spain. It is the main political force of the
abertzale left Abertzale left (, ; ) is a term used to refer to the parties or organizations of the Basque nationalist/separatist left, stretching from democratic socialism to communism. This leftist character is highlighted in contrast to the traditional ...
in Spain. EH Bildu is active in the
Spanish Basque Country The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community (), also officially called Euskadi (), is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. It surrounds two enclaves called Treviño ...
, that is, in the
Basque Autonomous Community Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous com ...
and
Chartered Community of Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. T ...
, as well as in the
Treviño enclave The Treviño Enclave ( ) in northern Spain is part of the territory of the province of Burgos (part of Castile and León), but is completely surrounded by the territory of the Basque Country province of Álava. Thus, it is an enclave of the Bas ...
of the
Burgos Province The province of Burgos is a province of northern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is bordered by the provinces of Palencia, Cantabria, Vizcaya, Álava, La Rioja, Soria, Segovia, and Valladoli ...
. In the
French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
, it has an alliance with the party
Euskal Herria Bai ''Euskal Herria Bai'' (, EH Bai) is a Basque political party and former electoral alliance in France, founded in 2007 by Abertzaleen Batasuna, Eusko Alkartasuna and Batasuna. Batasuna was dissolved in 2013, and replaced by Sortu. It became a uni ...
, with the goal of establishing a state for the Basque Country across the Spanish-French border.


History


Formation of Bildu

Bildu was formed in response to the March 2011 ruling by Spain's Supreme Court that banned the registration of a new Basque party called
Sortu Sortu () is a Basque people, Basque socialist political party. Founded in February 2011, it is the first political party belonging to the Basque nationalism, Basque nationalist "abertzale left" that openly rejects any kind of political violence. B ...
. Bildu was a coalition of the social democratic
Eusko Alkartasuna Eusko Alkartasuna (; ; ; ) is a Basque nationalist and social-democratic 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 national ...
, Alternatiba (a splinter group from Ezker Batua) and independent individuals from the Basque left-wing nationalist milieu, originating from the banned Batasuna party, all of them formerly members of the Amaiur coalition. Bildu was also banned by the Supreme Court for its links to Batasuna, the political wing of the banned armed separatist group
ETA Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
. The decision to ban Bildu sparked street protests in
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
and other cities. However, on 5 May 2011, exactly the day the election campaign began, Spain's Constitutional Court lifted the ban and Bildu was allowed to participate in the elections. The public presentation of EH Bildu took place on 10 June 2012 in
San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...
. Present at the event were, among others, the former members of Batasuna Rufi Etxeberria and Joseba Permach; the general secretary of EA, Pello Urizar; the coordinator of Aralar, Patxi Zabaleta; Alternatiba spokesperson,
Oskar Matute Oskar Matute García de Jalón (born 5 October 1972) is a Basques, Basque politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Basque Parliament. Early life Matute was born on 5 October 1972 in Barakal ...
; and the general deputy of
Gipuzkoa Gipuzkoa ( , ; ; ) is a province of Spain and a historical territory of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. Its capital city is Donostia-San Sebastián. Gipuzkoa shares borders with the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiqu ...
for Bildu, Martín Garitano. On 3 July 2012,
Laura Mintegi Laura Mintegi Lakarra (born October 26, 1955) is a Basque author, politician and a professor at the University of the Basque Country. Although she was born in Navarre, she moved to Biscay at an early age and has lived there ever since; first in B ...
was elected candidate for
lehendakari The President of the Basque Government (, ), usually known in the Basque language as the Lehendakari (, ), is the head of government of the Basque Autonomous Community. The lehendakari leads the executive branch of the regional government. T ...
in the 2012 Basque parliamentary elections. Mintegi, a professor at the University of the Basque Country, had already presented herself as a candidate for Herri Batasuna. Although the newspaper Gara announced that Sortu would join the coalition after the Constitutional Court revoked its illegalization, which was confirmed by its spokesperson in a press conference on July 11, 2012, this incorporation was finally postponed due to the advance of the elections to the Basque Parliament, which made them coincide with the constitutive debate process of said party. In the
2020 Basque regional election The 2020 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 12 July 2020, to elect the 12th Basque Parliament, Parliament of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The ...
, three political prisoner members of political youth or illegalized media were elected: Arkaitz Rodríguez, Iker Casanova and Ikoitz Arrese.


2011 elections

At the 2011 local elections, Bildu received 26% of the vote in the Basque region, coming second only to the
Basque Nationalist Party The Basque Nationalist Party ( , EAJ; , PNV; , PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been de ...
(PNV). 0/sup> The party won seats in most of the councils of the
Southern Basque Country The Southern Basque Country (; ) refers to the Basque territories southside of the Pyrenees, within the Iberian Peninsula. Name In Basque language, known as '' Euskera'', natives have referred to the Basque districts as ''Euskal Herria(k)''. ...
, including San Sebastián (where it came first),
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
,
Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz (; ; also historically spelled Vittoria in English) is the seat of government and the capital city of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country and of the provinces of Spain, province of Álava in northern Spain. I ...
and
Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
. For the 2011 general election, Eusko Alkartasuna, Alternatiba and their allies formed a new alliance, under the name
Amaiur Amaiur was a left-wing Basque nationalist and separatist political coalition from the Basque Country and Navarre. The name of the coalition comes from the fortress of Amaiur in Navarre, which was one of the last Basque strongholds during the ...
, along with Aralar, previously part of
Nafarroa Bai ''Nafarroa Bai'' () was a Navarrese coalition in Spain of Basque nationalist and regional left-wing parties created in 2004 for the Spanish General election. History The coalition comprised Aralar, the Basque Nationalist Party, Eusko Alkartasu ...
, and other ''
abertzale ''Abertzale'' (; English: "patriot", literally "fond of the fatherland") is a Basque term usually referring to people or political groups who are associated with Basque nationalism. Although the term is a synonym of "patriot", its common use in ...
'' (i.e., Basque nationalist) groups.


2012 Basque regional election

On 3 July 2012, the writer and university professor Laura Mintegi was presented as Bildu's candidate for the presidency of the Basque Government for the October 21 elections. Mintegi was already on the lists of Amaiur in the general elections of 2011 for the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for Biscay and on those of Herri Batasuna (HB) in the European elections of 1987 and
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
. The heads of the coalition list for
Álava Álava () or Araba (), officially Araba/Álava, is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain and a historical territory of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country, heir of the ancient Basque señoríos#Lords of Álava, Lordship ...
and Gipuzkoa were, respectively, the spokesperson for the STEE-EILAS union Belén Arrondo and the
University of the Basque Country The University of the Basque Country (, ''EHU''; , ''UPV''; officially EHU) is a Spanish public university of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community. Heir of the University of Deusto, University of Bilbao, initial ...
professor Xabier Isasi. The list for
Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of the Bay of Biscay, eponymous bay. The capital and largest city is Bilb ...
, headed by Laura Mintegi, was completed by the former mayor of
Amoroto Amoroto is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay Biscay ( ; ; ), is a province of the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Autonomous Community, heir of the ancient Lordship of Biscay, lying on the south shore of ...
and former spokesperson for Udalbiltza Maribi Ugarteburu, the Secretary of the Treasury of the National Executive of EA Leire Pinedo, the vice coordinator of Aralar Daniel Maeztu and the spokesperson for Alternatiba
Oskar Matute Oskar Matute García de Jalón (born 5 October 1972) is a Basques, Basque politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Basque Parliament. Early life Matute was born on 5 October 1972 in Barakal ...
. In eighth place was the lawyer and former parliamentarian of Herri Batasuna Jone Goirizelaia. For Gipuzkoa, the list included the Basque teacher and technician Lur Etxeberria. Also on Álava's list were the member of the nationalist left Hasier Arraiz, the Bildu councilor in Amurrio Eva Blanco, the lawyer Julen Arzuaga and the Aralar deputy Igor López de Munain. To prepare the electoral lists, the organizations that made up the coalition negotiated the percentage of representation that each one was going to have within it. In this way, it was agreed that the nationalist left would decide 60% of the names on the lists, EA 20%, Aralar 13% and Alternatiba 7%. In the end, Bildu obtained 277,923 votes (25.0%) and 21 parliamentarians. Of them, five were members of EA ( Pello Urizar, Juanjo Agirrezabala, Arritokieta Zulaika, Leire Pinedo and Eva Blanco), three of Aralar (Rebeka Ubera, Igor López de Muniain and Daniel Maeztu) and two of Alternatiba (Oskar Matute and Diana Urrea), because Arritokieta Zulaika from EA replaced Arturo Muñoz from Alternatiba. By constituencies, Bildu was the slate with the most votes in Gipuzkoa with 32.2% of the votes (9 parliamentarians), and the second in Álava (22.1% and 6 parliamentarians) and Biscay (21.5% and 6 parliamentarians).


2014 European Parliament election

At the end of 2013, EH Bildu announced its willingness to participate in the elections to the European Parliament on May 25, 2014, with the intention of uniting all of Spain's sovereigntist forces under its candidacy. With a view to these elections but on the occasion of the
World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...
in Bilbao, the coalition held an international rally in that city on 2 March 2014, with the participation of political groups such as
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
,
Syriza The Coalition of the Radical Left – Progressive Alliance (), best known by the syllabic abbreviation SYRIZA ( ; ; a pun on the Greek adverb , meaning "from the roots" or "radically"), is a Centre-left politics, centre-left to Left-wing politi ...
,
Die Linke Die Linke (; ), also known as the Left Party ( ), is a democratic socialist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 2007 as the result of the merger of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS) and Labour and Social Justice – The ...
, the Left Bloc of Portugal and the BNG, among others. After it became public that the ERC would run its own candidate and that the
CUP A cup is an open-top vessel (container) used to hold liquids for drinking, typically with a flattened hemispherical shape, and often with a capacity of about . Cups may be made of pottery (including porcelain), glass, metal, wood, stone, pol ...
and Nós-UP would not participate in these elections, EH Bildu finally formed The Peoples Decide coalition together with the BNG, Puyalón,
Andecha Astur "socialist and nationalist flag of Asturias used by Andecha Astur Andecha Astur (Asturian language, Asturian for: ''Asturian Common Work'' or ''Asturian Solidarity'') is an Asturian nationalism, Asturian nationalist leftist political party of S ...
, Canarian Nationalist Alternative and Unity of the People. The slate, led by the former newspaper director Gara Josu Juaristi, obtained 326,464 votes (2.08%), which entitled it to one MEP. Thus, the EH Bildu candidate, Josu Juaristi, would occupy the seat for the first three and a half years of the legislature and the BNG candidate, Ana Miranda, for the remaining year and a half. The coalition was the first force in Gipuzkoa, with 31.69% of the votes, and for the first time in Álava, with 19.86%. It was also the second force in Biscay, with 20.25%, and in Navarra, with 20.21%. The designation of the possible MEP generated a debate within EH Bildu, since both Aralar and Eusko Alkartasuna are members of the
European Free Alliance The European Free Alliance (EFA) is a European political party that consists of various regionalist, separatist and minority political parties in Europe. Member parties advocate either for full political independence and sovereignty, or some ...
, while Sortu showed during the campaign its preference for joining The Left in the European Parliament (GUE/NGL). After obtaining the seat, Josu Juaristi joined the latter group, although he announced that he would also maintain "a priority relationship" with the
Greens–European Free Alliance The Greens/European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA) is a political group of the European Parliament composed primarily of Green politics, green political parties. The group consists of European Green Party (EGP), part of the European Free Allianc ...
, since the latter has political formations that defend his right.


2015 and 2016 elections

In the 2015 local elections, EH Bildu was the second force in the Basque Country, only surpassed by the
Basque Nationalist Party The Basque Nationalist Party ( , EAJ; , PNV; , PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been de ...
(EAJ-PNV). EAJ-PNV lost institutional power to Bildu in Gipuzkoa, losing several municipalities, including the mayor's office of the capital, San Sebastián. In this historic territory, EH Bildu obtained 29.87% of the votes and 398 councilors. In Biscay it was the second force with 19.85% and 394 councilors, and in Álava it was also the second force with 21.48%, surpassing the PNV by one tenth. In Navarre, the nationalist coalition was the first force in number of councilors and second in number of votes. It obtained 297 councilors, thus surpassing the
Navarrese People's Union The Navarrese People's Union (; ), abbreviated to UPN, is a regional Conservatism, conservative political party in Navarre, Spain. Until 2008, it was a fraternal party of the People's Party (Spain), People's Party (PP), acting as the latter's Nava ...
(UPN), which dropped to 281. EH Bildu took many mayoralties from UPN, including
Estella-Lizarra Estella (Spanish language, Spanish) or Lizarra (Basque language, Basque) is a town located in the autonomous community of Navarre, in northern Spain. It lies south west of Pamplona, close to the border with La Rioja (autonomous community), La Rioj ...
, Barañáin,
Tafalla Tafalla is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Tafalla lies 30 km south of Pamplona, in the valley of the Zidacos river, which is a tributary of the Aragón. The population in Janua ...
and
Pamplona Pamplona (; ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Navarre, Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. Lying at near above sea level, the city (and the wider Cuenca de Pamplona) is located on the flood pl ...
. Thus, Joseba Asiron became the first ''
abertzale ''Abertzale'' (; English: "patriot", literally "fond of the fatherland") is a Basque term usually referring to people or political groups who are associated with Basque nationalism. Although the term is a synonym of "patriot", its common use in ...
'' mayor of the Navarrese capital thanks to a government agreement between EH Bildu,
Geroa Bai Geroa Bai () is a regional political coalition in the Chartered Community of Navarre, created for the 2011 election to the Cortes Generales. It includes the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV), Atarrabia Taldea, and the Geroa Socialverdes partne ...
, Aranzadi and
Izquierda-Ezkerra Izquierda-Ezkerra (, I–E (n)) was an electoral alliance in Navarre formed by United Left of Navarre (IUN) and Batzarre. It was established in January 2011 after Batzarre split from the Nafarroa Bai coalition. Batzarre accepted IUN's call to form ...
. EH Bildu lost the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, which until then was governed by Bildu, by obtaining 28% of the votes and 17 members, compared to 31% and 18 members for the EAJ-PNV. In Álava, Bildu obtained 11 members with 20% of the votes, and in Biscay it obtained 18% and 11 members in the General Meetings. In the elections to the Parliament of Navarre in 2015, EH Bildu obtained eight parliamentarians with 14.25% of the votes, which made it the third force in the autonomous community. Three of these parliamentarians were in turn members of EA ( Maiorga Ramírez, Miren Aranoa and Esther Korres), three of Sortu (Adolfo Araiz, Bakartxo Ruiz and Dabid Anaut) and two of Aralar (Asun Fernández de Garaialde and Xabi Lasa). Later, Xabi Lasa would be replaced by Arantza Izurdiaga (Sortu). The representatives of EH Bildu voted in favor of the investiture of
Uxue Barkos Miren Uxue Barkos Berruezo (born 5 July 1964), simply known as Uxue Barkos, is a Spanish journalist and politician who served as the President of Navarre from 2015 to 2019. She previously represented the Basque nationalist coalition Geroa Bai ...
along with Geroa Bai, Podemos and Izquierda-Ezkerra. The counselors of the Government of Navarre
María José Beaumont María José Beaumont Aristu (born 1956) is a Navarrese Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, ...
(Presidency, Public Service, Interior and Justice) and Isabel Elizalde (Rural Development, Local Administration and Environment) were elected at the proposal of EH Bildu. In the 2015 general elections in Spain, EH Bildu saw a decline in both votes and representatives compared to the results of Amaiur in 2011. In total it obtained 218,467 votes (0.87%) and two deputies were electedː Onintza Enbeita for Biscay and Marian Beitialarrangoitia by Gipuzkoa. After the new call for elections in 2016, EH Bildu renewed the electoral lists, but failed to improve its results by obtaining 184,092 votes (0.77%) and two deputies: Oskar Matute for Biscay and Marian Beitialarrangoitia for Gipuzkoa. For the elections to the Basque Parliament in 2016, EH Bildu designated
Arnaldo Otegi Arnaldo Otegi Mondragón (born 6 July 1958) is a politician from the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country who has been the General Secretary of Basque nationalist party EH Bildu since 2017. He was member of the Basque Parliament for bo ...
as its candidate for the presidency of the
Basque Government The Basque Government (, ; ) is the governing body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain. The head of the Basque government is known as the '' Lehendakari''. The Lehendakari is appointed by the Basque Parliament every four years, after a re ...
, after the bases of the coalition decided so. However, the Electoral Board, later endorsed by the Constitutional Court, determined that Otegi could not be included on the electoral lists because he was disqualified from voting as part of his conviction for the Bateragune case. EH Bildu obtained 225,172 (21.26%) votes and 18 parliamentarians. It maintained its status as the second force in the Basque Parliament, surpassed only by the PNV. Compared to the results obtained in the general elections in 2015 and 2016, EH Bildu experienced a recovery in both the number of votes and the percentage of the vote. Compared to the previous elections to the Basque Parliament in 2012, it lost three seats and more than 50,000 votes. After obtaining her parliamentary certificate, journalist Maddalen Iriarte was elected spokesperson for the parliamentary group, as well as its candidate for lehendakari in the investiture plenary session.


Since 2017

On 17 June 2017, EH Bildu was refounded as a permanent political structure to provide itself with its own bodies with executive capacity and open itself to the activism of independents, leaving behind the classic party coalition formula. Arnaldo Otegi was elected general coordinator. Following this process, Aralar held its last congress on 2 December 2017, in which it was decided to dissolve, leaving the way open to members who thus decided to join EH Bildu. The decision was made when it considered its objective of having all
human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...
defended by the nationalist left fulfilled, as well as the improvement of its internal democracy and the admission of internal currents. However, a critical segment belonging to Eusko Alkartasuna, led by Maiorga Ramírez and supported by its founder
Carlos Garaikoetxea Carlos Garaikoetxea Urriza (born 2 June 1938) is a former politician from the Spanish Basque Country. He became the second elected ''Lehendakari'' (President of the Basque Autonomous Community), after José Antonio Aguirre, and held that offi ...
, opposed what they considered the marginalization of their party within EH Bildu in the face of the preeminence of Sortu. Critics demanded a return to the coalition's original idea of bringing together "a broad, progressive and nationalist bloc" and the establishment of "rules respectful of the pluralism typical of coalitions." In the general elections of April 2019, EH Bildu increased its share of the vote by 74,934 to reach 259,647 votes (0.99%), resulting in four deputies being elected to
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
:
Iñaki Ruiz de Pinedo Iñaki Ruiz de Pinedo Undiano (born 23 July 1954) is a Basques, Basque sociologist, politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Basque Parliament. Early life Ruiz de Pinedo was born on 23 July ...
, for Álava;
Oskar Matute Oskar Matute García de Jalón (born 5 October 1972) is a Basques, Basque politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Basque Parliament. Early life Matute was born on 5 October 1972 in Barakal ...
, who repeated for Biscay; Mertxe Aizpurua and
Jon Iñarritu Jon Iñarritu Gartzia (born 28 March 1979) is a Basque politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Senate of Spain. Early life Iñarritu was born on 28 March 1979 in Leioa, Basque Country. He ...
, both from Gipuzkoa. A senator for Gipuzkoa was also elected (in addition to the one EH Bildu had by territorial designation): Gorka Elejabarrieta. In October, EH Bildu signed, together with Junts per Catalunya,
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya The Republican Left of Catalonia (, ERC; ; generically branded as ) is a pro-Catalan independence, social democratic political party in the Spanish autonomous community of Catalonia, with a presence also in Valencia, the Balearic Islands and th ...
,
Popular Unity Candidacy The Popular Unity Candidacy (, CUP) is a left-wing to far-left pro-Catalan independence political party active primarily in Catalonia, where it has political representation, but also in other autonomous communities in Spain it considers to be part ...
,
Galician Nationalist Bloc The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia (Spain), Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalism, Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic Popular front, front" ...
, Crida Nacional,
Demòcrates de Catalunya Democrats of Catalonia (, DC) is a Christian-democratic, pro-Catalan independence political party in Catalonia founded in July 2015 from a split in Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC). Its members included the then-List of presidents of the Parl ...
,
Catalan European Democratic Party The Catalan European Democratic Party (, PDeCAT, sometimes stylized as PDECat), initially branded as the Catalan Democratic Party (, PDC), was a liberal political party in Spain that supported Catalan independence. The party was founded in Bar ...
, Esquerra Valenciana, República Valenciana,
Més per Mallorca Més per Mallorca (, MÉS) is a Majorcan political party and coalition formed by the Socialist Party of Majorca (PSM), IniciativaVerds (IV) and Entesa per Mallorca (ExM), as well as other small local parties around the island. It was establishe ...
and
Més per Menorca Més per Menorca (, MpM) is a Menorcan political party. It was initially a coalition formed by the Socialist Party of Menorca, the Republican Left of the Balearic Islands, The Greens of Menorca, Equo, local parties and independents around the i ...
, a declaration with which all the signatories committed to act together in the defense of the right to self-determination. In the repeat elections held on 10 November, Bildu obtained 277,621 votes (1.14%), that is, 17,974 more, and the election of Bel Pozueta, its fifth representative in the lower house, for the Navarre constituency. EH Bildu was the political force with the most votes in the Basque Country and Navarre as a whole and the one that won the most mayoralties in the 2023 municipal elections. In 2023, a complaint was filed by Covite over the inclusion of several candidates who had been convicted of belonging to and collaborating with ETA among the more than 300 EH Bildu lists for the municipal elections in the Basque Country and Navarre. Seven of these, who especially stood out for having been convicted in a summary process with fatalities, announced that they would resign from their positions if they were elected to show their commitment to coexistence and peace, and this took effect after several of them managed to win. in several locations in the Basque Country. Although Covite called this withdrawal a victory, the controversy was fueled by the request to outlaw EH Bildu presented by Vox, the president of the
Community of Madrid The Community of Madrid (; ) is one of the seventeen autonomous communities and 50 provinces of Spain, provinces of Spain. It is located at the heart of the Iberian Peninsula and Meseta Central, Central Plateau (); its capital and largest munici ...
Díaz Ayuso and the Dignidad y Justicia association, which was rejected by the Prosecutor's Office. Spanish Prime Minister
Pedro Sánchez Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón (; born 29 February 1972) is a Spanish politician who has served as Prime Minister of Spain since 2018. He has also been Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since July 2017, having p ...
was also attacked for his agreements with the coalition.


Ideological bases

The formations that formalized the coalition signed a long-term strategic agreement to offer Basque citizens "a project of
national sovereignty A nation state, or nation-state, is a political entity in which the state (a centralized political organization ruling over a population within a territory) and the nation (a community based on a common identity) are (broadly or ideally) co ...
and true
social transformation In sociology, social transformation is a somewhat ambiguous term that has two broad definitions. One definition of social transformation is the process by which an individual ''alters'' the socially ascribed social status of their parents into a ...
", which opted for "the construction of viable alternatives that position the economy as a tool at the service of citizenship", such as the creation of a Basque Public Fund, in addition to putting political and economic sovereignty "at the service of a new
economic An economy is an area of the Production (economics), production, Distribution (economics), distribution and trade, as well as Consumption (economics), consumption of Goods (economics), goods and Service (economics), services. In general, it is ...
,
ecological Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere levels. Ecology overlaps with the closely re ...
and
social model A social welfare model is a system of social welfare provision and its accompanying value system. It usually involves social policies that affect the welfare of a country's citizens within the framework of a market or mixed economy. Elements of ...
, a fair
redistribution of wealth Redistribution of income and wealth is the transfer of income and wealth (including physical property) from some individuals to others through a social mechanism such as taxation, welfare, public services, land reform, monetary policies, con ...
and the fight against
social exclusion Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and relegation to the fringe of society. It is a term that has been used widely in Europe and was first used in France in the late 20th century. In the EU context, the Euro ...
, which has its fundamental reference in the working social majority. The agreement included other commitments related to "the consolidation of a scenario of non-violence with guarantees and the reestablishment of democratic minimums", the
Basque language Basque ( ; ) is a language spoken by Basques and other residents of the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country, a region that straddles the westernmost Pyrenees in adjacent parts of northern Spain and southwestern France. Basque ...
, the fight for equality between women and men, defense of education, the field of youth, in favor of
internationalism Internationalism may refer to: * Cosmopolitanism, the view that all human ethnic groups belong to a single community based on a shared morality as opposed to communitarianism, patriotism and nationalism * International Style, a major architectura ...
and against
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
and
xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
. EH Bildu defines itself ideologically as a
left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social ...
force for Basque national sovereignty, whose purpose is the achievement of an independent
Euskal Herria The Basque Country (; ; ) is the name given to the home of the Basque people. Trask, R.L. ''The History of Basque'' Routledge: 1997 The Basque Country is located in the western Pyrenees, straddling the border between France and Spain on the co ...
based on
social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...
. In this sense, since January 2015 it has maintained a preferential relationship with
Euskal Herria Bai ''Euskal Herria Bai'' (, EH Bai) is a Basque political party and former electoral alliance in France, founded in 2007 by Abertzaleen Batasuna, Eusko Alkartasuna and Batasuna. Batasuna was dissolved in 2013, and replaced by Sortu. It became a uni ...
in the
French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
aimed at the creation of a Basque State, admitting that each region follows its own rhythms as it finds itself in a different starting situation.


Composition


Electoral performance


Regional parliaments


Basque Parliament


Parliament of Navarre


Cortes Generales


Nationwide


Regional breakdown


European Parliament


Public profile


Links to ETA

Although it is a member of pacifist political groups such as
Eusko Alkartasuna Eusko Alkartasuna (; ; ; ) is a Basque nationalist and social-democratic 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 national ...
, Alternatiba and Aralar (dissolved in 2017) and Sortu was endorsed by the Constitutional Court, EH Bildu has been described by some conservative media as the heir of the banned separatist group
ETA Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
. Victims' associations such as Covite have criticized the presence of their leaders at tributes to former members of the armed organization, and the militancy in ETA in the youth of its general coordinator
Arnaldo Otegi Arnaldo Otegi Mondragón (born 6 July 1958) is a politician from the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country who has been the General Secretary of Basque nationalist party EH Bildu since 2017. He was member of the Basque Parliament for bo ...
, as well as some of the Sortu affiliates, has also been pointed out. For his part, Otegi has reiterated on several occasions EH Bildu's commitment against ETA violence, rejecting public receptions of released prisoners, as well as his support for the victims, expressing his regret for the suffering caused.


Notes


References


Bibliography

*


External links

* {{Spain political parties 2012 establishments in Spain Articles containing video clips