EH Bildu

EH Bildu, short for Euskal Herria Bildu (English: Basque Country Gather[7][8][9][10][11] or Basque Country Unite[12][13]) is a left-wing,[14] Basque nationalist, pro-independence[7] political coalition active in the Spanish autonomous communities of Basque Country, Navarre and Burgos Province.

Basque Country Gather
Euskal Herria Bildu
LeaderArnaldo Otegi
Spokesperson in the Basque ParliamentNerea Kortajarena
Spokesperson in the Parliament of NavarreBakartxo Ruiz
Spokesperson in the Congress of DeputiesMertxe Aizpurua Oskar Matute
Founded3 April 2011 (2011-04-03) (Bildu)
10 June 2012 (2012-06-10) (EH Bildu)
Merger of
HeadquartersC/ Pilotegi, 2
20018, Donostia-San Sebastián
Ideology
Political positionLeft-wing to far-left[4][5]
National affiliationAmaiur (2011–15)
Ahora Repúblicas
(2019–present)
Regional affiliationCambio-Aldaketa
(2015–16; 2019)
European Parliament groupThe Left in the European Parliament – GUE/NGL
Colors
  •   Turquoise (official)
  •   Lime (customary)
Congress of Deputies (Basque and Navarrese seats)
6 / 23
Spanish Senate (Basque and Navarrese seats)
5 / 20
European Parliament (Spanish seats)
0 / 59
Basque Parliament
21 / 75
Parliament of Navarre
9 / 50
Juntas Generales
51 / 153
Mayors (2019–2023)[6][lower-alpha 1]
120 / 525
Local government (2023–2027)[lower-alpha 1]
1,402 / 4,663
Website
www.ehbildu.eus

EHB's predecessor Bildu ("Gather") was launched on 3 April 2011 to participate in the May 2011 local elections[15] It was formed as a reaction to the Supreme Court of Spain's ruling in March 2011 that barred the new left-wing Basque nationalist (Abertzale left) Sortu party from electoral participation. Bildu was an alliance of the centre-left Eusko Alkartasuna, left-wing Alternatiba and independents of the left-wing nationalist spectrum, many of whom former members or supporters of the outlawed Batasuna party.

EHB was launched on 10 June 2012 in San Sebastián by five founding components: Eusko Alkartasuna, Aralar, Alternatiba, Sortu, and independents of the Abertzale left (groups and independent individuals from the Basque leftist-nationalist milieu, many of whom had been members of Batasuna), all of whom had been previously members of the Amaiur coalition.[16] On 3 July 2012 Laura Mintegi was chosen as candidate for Lehendakari in the 2012 Basque parliamentary election.[17] Mintegi, a professor at the University of the Basque Country, formerly stood as a candidate for Herri Batasuna.[18]

History

Formation of Bildu

Bildu was formed as a response to the March 2011 ruling by the Supreme Court of Spain that banned a new Basque party called Sortu from being registered. Bildu was a coalition of the social-democratic Eusko Alkartasuna, Alternatiba (a splinter group of Ezker Batua) and independent individuals from the Basque leftist-nationalist environment, originating from the outlawed Batasuna party. Bildu was banned by the Supreme Court as well, due to their ties to Batasuna, the political wing of the terrorist group ETA. The decision to ban Bildu resulted in street protests in Bilbao and other cities. However, on 5 May 2011, exactly the day the election campaign started off, the Constitutional Court of Spain lifted the ban and Bildu was allowed to take part in elections.[19]

In the 2020 Basque regional election 3 former ETA members were elected: Arkaitz Rodríguez, Iker Casanova and Ikoitz Arrese.[20]

In 2023 elections, Bildu ran 44 candidates who were former members of the now disbanded terrorist organisation ETA.[21][22][23]

2011 regional and local elections

At the 2011 local elections Bildu received 26% of the vote in the Basque region, coming second only to the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).[24] The party won seats in most of the councils of the Southern Basque Country, including San Sebastián (where it came up first), Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Pamplona.

2011 general election

For the 2011 general election Eusko Alkartasuna, Alternatiba and their allies formed a new alliance, under the name Amaiur, along with Aralar, previously part of Nafarroa Bai, and other abertzale (i.e., Basque nationalist) groups.

2012 Basque Parliament Elections

In the election for the Basque Parliament that took place on 21 October 2012, EH Bildu the second most seats after the more established EAJ-PNV.[25][26] The coalition party won 21 out of 75 seats with 25% of the popular vote. No single party won a majority in this election.

2014 European Parliament election

In the 2014 European Parliament election EH Bildu participated as part of the list The Peoples Decide (LPD), comprising left-wing nationalist and separatist parties from several autonomous regions of Spain. On the first position of that list was EHB member Josu Juaristi who was elected member of the European parliament. He joined the group of the European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL).

Composition
Party
Basque Solidarity (EA)
Aralar
Alternative (Alternatiba)
Create (Sortu)

Electoral performance

Basque Parliament
Basque Parliament
Election Leading candidate Votes  % Seats +/– Government
2012 Laura Mintegi 277,923 24.67 (#2)
21 / 75
 16[lower-alpha 2] Opposition
2016 Arnaldo Otegi[lower-alpha 3] 225,172 21.13 (#2)
18 / 75
 3 Opposition
2020 Maddalen Iriarte 249,580 27.60 (#2)
21 / 75
 3 Opposition

Parliament of Navarre
Parliament of Navarre
Election Leading candidate Votes  % Seats +/– Government
2011 Maiorga Ramírez 42,916 13.28 (#4)
7 / 50
 7 Opposition
2015 Adolfo Araiz 48,166 14.25 (#3)
8 / 50
 1 Coalition
2019 Bakartxo Ruiz 50,631 14.54 (#4)
7 / 50
 1 Opposition
2023 Laura Aznal 56,535 17.13 (#3)
9 / 50
 2 Opposition

Nationwide
Cortes Generales
Election Congress Senate Government
Votes  % Seats +/– Seats +/–
2015 219,125 0.87 (#10)
2 / 350
 5[lower-alpha 4]
0 / 208
 2[lower-alpha 4] Opposition
2016 184,713 0.77 (#9)
2 / 350
 0
0 / 208
 0 Opposition
Apr. 2019 259,647 0.99 (#10)
4 / 350
 2
1 / 208
 1 Opposition
Nov. 2019 277,621 1.14 (#10)
5 / 350
 1
1 / 208
 0 Opposition
2023 333,362 1.36 (#7th)
6 / 350
 1
4 / 208
 3 TBD

Regional breakdown
Election Basque Country
Congress Senate
Votes  % Seats +/– Seats +/–
2015 184,186 15.06 (#3)
2 / 18
 4[lower-alpha 4]
0 / 12
 2[lower-alpha 4]
2016 153,339 13.28 (#4)
2 / 18
 0
0 / 12
 0
Apr. 2019 212,882 16.68 (#4)
4 / 18
 2
1 / 12
 1
Nov. 2019 221,073 18.67 (#3)
4 / 18
 0
1 / 12
 0
2023 274,676 23.95 (#3)
5 / 18
 1
4 / 12
 3
  
Election Navarre
Congress Senate
Votes  % Seats +/– Seats +/–
2015 34,939 9.89 (#4)
0 / 5
 1[lower-alpha 4]
0 / 4
 0[lower-alpha 4]
2016 31,374 9.36 (#4)
0 / 5
 0
0 / 4
 0
Apr. 2019 46,765 12.74 (#4)
0 / 5
 0
0 / 4
 0
Nov. 2019 56,548 16.88 (#3)
1 / 5
 1
0 / 4
 0
2023 58,686 17.31 (#2)
1 / 5
 0
0 / 4
 0

European Parliament
European Parliament
Election Total Basque Country Navarre
Votes  % Seats +/– Votes  % Votes  %
2014 Within LPD
1 / 54
 1 177,694 23.36 (#2) 44,129 20.21 (#2)
2019 Within AR
1 / 54
 0 246,937 22.01 (#2) 54,406 15.99 (#3)

Notes
  1. Results in the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre and the Enclave of Treviño.
  2. Compared to the combined totals of Aralar and Eusko Alkartasuna in the 2009 regional election.
  3. 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.
  4. Compared to Amaiur totals in the 2011 general election.

References
  1. Mabry et al. 2013, p. 134.
  2. "POLITIFILE: Euskal Herria Bildu (EH Bildu) - Basque Country Unite". Progressive Spain. Retrieved 8 September 2022.
  3. "Parties and Elections in Europe". www.parties-and-elections.eu.
  4. Gorospe, Pedro (7 February 2018). "Basque ruling party wants to include "right to decide" in new regional charter". El País. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  5. Angela Bourne, Democratic Dilemmas: Why democracies ban political parties, First Edition, Routledge, Abingdon, 2018, p. 47
  6. Gehiengoak maximizatzen. Berria, 16/06/2019.
  7. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Basque Country/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
  8. Sanjay Jeram; Daniele Conversi (2014). Deliberation and Democracy at the End of Armed Conflict: Postconflict Opportunities in the Basque Country. p. 53. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  9. David Lublin (2014). Minority Rules: Electoral Systems, Decentralization, and Ethnoregional Party Success. Oxford University Press. p. 197.
  10. Santiago Pérez-Nievas; Teresa Mata López (2013). "The 2012 Basque Country Regional Election: Back to Nationalist Rule in the Context of the Economic Crisis" (PDF). Asociación Española de Ciencia Política y de la Administración (AECPA).
  11. Ryan Barnes (10 January 2013). "Basque and Catalan Nationalism: An Evolution". Fair Observer.
  12. "Basque party snubs vote condemning Paris attack". TheLocal.es. 9 January 2015.
  13. Tim Lewis (22 March 2015). "Another Country: Inside The Basque Region". Esquire.
  14. Morel, Sandrine (25 September 2016). "En Espagne, le parti de Rajoy renforcé par des régionales en Galice et au Pays basque". Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 26 November 2017.
  15. (in Spanish) "Bildu presenta las bases de su programa electoral para el 22-M", Gara, 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-04-05.
  16. Morán, Unai (10 June 2012). "Una profesora se perfila como aspirante a 'lehendakari' por EHB". El País.
  17. "Laura Mintegi será la candidata a lehendakari de la coalición Euskal Herria Bildu". 2 July 2012.
  18. Gastaca, Juan Mari (3 July 2012). ""Una escritora euskaldun, no vasca"". El País.
  19. "Spanish Constitutional Court lifts ban on Bildu". Xinhua News. Archived from the original on May 9, 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  20. Tres expresos de ETA entre los 22 diputados de Bildu en el Parlamento Vasco
  21. "Spain elections re-open deep wounds, as ETA terrorists run for office". euronews. 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  22. "Basque party angers ETA victims' families by adding former terrorists to elections list". 15 May 2023.
  23. Jones, Sam (2023-05-27). "Rows over Eta and racism loom large as Spain holds local elections". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-05.
  24. "New Basque Coalition Bildu Surges in Basque Local Elections". Eitb.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-28. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
  25. EFE (22 October 2012). "Urkullu asume desde hoy el reto de llegar a acuerdos con otros partidos". El Mundo (in Spanish). Bilbao: Unidad Editorial Información General S.L.U. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  26. "Elecciones Parlamento Vasco". EITB (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 May 2019.

Bibliography
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