Basque Nationalist Party

Basque Nationalist Party Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea (Basque) Partido Nacionalista Vasco (Spanish) Parti Nationaliste Basque (French)
President	Andoni Ortuzar
Founder	Sabino Arana
Founded	1895 (1895)
Headquarters	Sabin Etxea, Ibáñez de Bilbao, 16 Bilbao
Youth wing	Euzko Gaztedi
Ideology	Basque nationalism[1][2][3][4] European federalism[5] Civic nationalism Regionalism[6] Christian democracy[4][7] Conservatism[8] Conservative liberalism[9]
Political position	Centre-right[10][11]
European affiliation	European Democratic Party
International affiliation	None, previously Alliance of Democrats[12]
European Parliament group	Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
Colors	Red Green White
Congress of Deputies	5 / 18
Spanish Senate	6 / 15
European Parliament	1 / 54
Basque Parliament	28 / 75
Parliament of Navarre	4 / 50 Inside Geroa Bai
Juntas Generales	54 / 153
Town councillors in the Basque Autonomous Community	1,017 / 2,628
Website
www.eaj-pnv.eus
Politics of Spain Political parties Elections

The Basque Nationalist Party^[13] (Basque: Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea, EAJ; Spanish: Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV; French: Parti Nationaliste Basque, PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially Basque National Party in English,^{[14][lower-alpha 1]} is a Christian democratic and Basque nationalist party. It operates in all the territories comprising the Basque Country: the Basque Autonomous Community and Navarre in Spain, and in the French Basque Country. It also has delegations in dozens of foreign nations, specifically those with a major presence of Basque immigrants.

EAJ-PNV was founded by Sabino Arana in 1895, which makes it the second oldest party in Spain that remains active, after the PSOE. It is the largest Basque nationalist party, having led the Basque Government uninterruptedly since 1979 (except for a brief period between 2009 and 2012). In Navarre, it is part of the coalition Geroa Bai, which is currently the party in the Navarrese regional government. At the national level, it also has a presence in the Cortes Generales: the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

Since 1932, EAJ-PNV celebrates on Easter the Aberri Eguna 'Homeland Day'.^[16] Also, since 1977, the party celebrates Alderdi Eguna 'Party Day'. The party's social offices are called batzokis, of which there are over 200 throughout the world.^[17]

Currently a member of the European Democratic Party, the Basque Nationalist Party was previously a member of the European Free Alliance from 1999 to 2004.^[18] Even earlier it had been affiliated with the European People's Party from which it resigned before the European Parliament election of 1999, and the Christian Democrat International until its expulsion in 2000.^[19]

The current chairman of EAJ-PNV is Andoni Ortuzar. The youth wing of the Basque Nationalist Party is called EGI Euzko Gaztedi Indarra 'Basque Youth Force'.

Origins and early history

Basque Country
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In 1898, the party opened its second batzoki ('meeting place', a club and bar) in Barakaldo.

The party was founded in 1895 by Sabino de Arana Goiri as a Catholic conservative party agitating for the restoration of self-government and the defense of Juramento de Larrazabal Basque traditional values and identity. Currently, it describes itself as Basque, democratic, participatory, plural, and humanist. It is a moderate nationalist party which favours greater autonomy, for the Basque nation. EAJ-PNV opposes political violence.

In its beginnings, the party established a requirement for its members to prove Basque ancestry by having a minimum number of Basque surnames.

In 1921, the Arana movement split into the traditionalist Comunión Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Communion") and the independentist Aberri ("Homeland").

During the single party dictatorship rule of general Miguel Primo de Rivera, the nationalist parties were outlawed and persecuted. However, its activity continued under the guise of mountain (mendigoizale) and folklore clubs.

At the end of 1930, Aberri and CNV reunited under the old name of EAJ-PNV. However, a small group formed Acción Nacionalista Vasca ("Basque Nationalist Action"). It was on the moderate nationalist left, non-confessional and open to alliances with the republican and socialist parties fighting against the dictatorship.

The Second Spanish Republic

PNV sticker. Text: "Euzkadi´k bear zaitu" (Euzkadi needs you). It is inspired by Alfred Leete's British poster for Kitchener's Army.

The Spanish civil war and Franco's rule

A Basque Statute

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PNV's good results in 1977 and 1978 confirmed PNV's central position in Basque politics. While PNV advocated for abstention in the referendum on the Spanish Constitution for its lack of Basque input, the party supported the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, approved in December 1978, and paved the way to its success in the first elections held in the Basque Autonomous Community, once Navarre was left out.

In the transition years after Franco's death in 1975, Xabier Arzallus came to prominence, who masterminded the so-called "Spirit of Arriaga" to accommodate the party to the new Spanish democracy. Despite some internal tensions, the former priest and Jesuit came up reinforced and was chosen undisputed party leader. PNV found in Biscay its main and strongest support base, while in Navarre PNV was next to non-existent.

Carlos Garaikoetxea spearheaded the new autonomous government after being elected with 38.8% of the votes and during this first term the Basque Nationalist Party held office without outside support. During this period, PNV's challenges were closely associated to its position in the Basque Government: defense of the Statute, devolution of powers from Madrid, discrediting of political violence, restructuring of manufacturing industry steeped in crisis.

As of 1985 tensions inside the party spurred the formation of a splinter group with a stronghold in Gipuzkoa, which in turn led to a new party in 1987, when dissenters from the PNV formed Eusko Alkartasuna ("Basque Solidarity"). Carlos Garaikoetxea was then elected as the first president of the rival party. The split from the PNV was mainly based on:

• A personality clash between the lehendakari Garaikoetxea, who went to form Eusko Alkartasuna (EA), and the PNV leader Xabier Arzalluz.
• The configuration of the Basque Country:
  • A strong Basque government and weak provinces (EA).
  • Strong provinces (PNV).

Afterwards, some ideological differences also came out. EA adopted a social-democratic ideology, while the PNV remained more attached to its Christian-democratic ideas. The split was particularly bitter given that it was headed by the lehendakari (premier) himself. Many PNV political bars (batzoki, "meeting place") became alkartetxe ("meeting house").

Since 1991, as time has eased the bitter split (helped by the fact that both Arzalluz and Garaikoetxea have gone into political retirement), both parties agreed to form an electoral coalition in a number of local elections as a means to maximize the nationalist votes, which eventually led to reunite both candidatures in a joint list again for the regional governments of Navarra and the Basque Autonomous Community in 1998. Thus, EA has participated in several PNV-led Basque governments, including the 2006 government of President Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu. Still, EA decided to run by itself in the municipal elections held in May 2007.

Former president Juan José Ibarretxe spearheaded a call for the reform of the Statute of Autonomy that governs the Basque Country Autonomous Community, through a proposal widely known as the Ibarretxe Plan, passed by the Basque Parliament but not even accepted for discussion by the Spanish Cortes Generales.

In 2009 PNV was expelled from office by an alliance of the Spanish Socialists' Basque branch, the PSE, and the Spanish conservatives (PP), taking advantage of a distorted parliament representation issued from the outlawing of leftist Basque nationalists. Until that moment, the PNV dominated every administration of the Basque government. In Navarre, EA and PNV formed the coalition Nafarroa Bai—'Yes to Navarre'—along with Aralar and Batzarre, but a split within the coalition led to its revamp as Geroa Bai. In terms of ideology, by November 2016 the Basque Nationalist Party shifted its rhetoric to make the autonomous community of Euskadi the subject of the Basque nation.^[22]

Position in recent referendums

PNV called for:

• Abstention in the Referendum for Spanish Constitution in 1978.
• Gave freedom to vote yes or no to permanence of Spain in the NATO in 1986. The Yes won the vote in Spain, but the No was the first choice among the electors of the Basque Country.
• Yes to the European Constitution proposal in the referendum held in Spain on 21 February 2005; and supported the Lisbon Treaty in the Spanish Cortes Generales.

Presidents of the party since 1895

Note: The National Council of the Basque Nationalist Party (Euzkadi-Buru-Batzar) was created in 1911. Therefore, Sabino Arana and Ángel Zabala were only presidents of the Regional Council of Biscay (Bizkai-Buru-Batzar)

• 1895-1903 Sabino de Arana y Goiri
• 1903-1906 Ángel Zabala Ozamiz
• 1906-1908 Deputation formed by Santiago Alda, Alipio Larrauri, Antonio Arroyo, Vicente Larrinaga and Eduardo Arriaga.
• 1911?-1916 Luis de Arana y Goiri
• 1916-1920 Ramón Bikuña
• 1920-1930 Ignacio Rotaeche (Comunión Nacionalista Vasca)
• 1922-1930 Luis de Arana y Goiri (Aberri)
• 1930 Ceferino de Jemein (Aberri)

Josu Jon Imaz (in white shirt) and Iñigo Urkullu (in black shirt) in 2007

• 1931-1932 Ramón Bikuña
• 1932-1933 Luis de Arana y Goiri
• 1933-1934 Jesús Doxandabaratz
• 1934-1935 Isaac López Mendizábal
• 1935-1951 Doroteo Ciáurriz
• 1951-1953 Juan Ajuriaguerra
• 1957-1962 José Aguerre
• 1975-1977 Ignacio Unceta
• 1977-1980 Carlos Garaikoetxea
• 1980-1984 Xabier Arzalluz
• 1984-1985 Román Sudupe
• 1985-1986 Jesús Insausti
• 1986-2004 Xabier Arzalluz
• 2004-2008 Josu Jon Imaz
• 2008-2013 Iñigo Urkullu
• 2013- Andoni Ortuzar

Jeltzaletasuna

JeL (Jaungoikoa eta Lagi-zaŕa, "God and the old law" in Basque, Lege-zaharra in Standard Basque) is the motto of the party. The "old laws" referred to are the fueros, the traditional laws of the Basque provinces, observed by the kings of Castille, and later Spain, until the Carlist Wars. The motto of Basque Carlists was Dios, patria, fueros, rey ("God, Country, Fueros, king"). Separatist nationalism in parts of Spain is related in some of these areas with former Carlist background.

JEL is the origin of jelkide ("JEL-companion", EAJ-PNV member) and jeltzale ("TZALE-follower", as in the gloss of EAJ, Eusko Alderdi Jeltzalea).

Alderdi Eguna

Alderdi Eguna ("Party Day") is the national holiday of the Basque Nationalist Party which is annually celebrated on the last Sunday of September, the Sunday closest to the feast day of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Euskal Herria and of the Basque Nationalist Party.

The central act of this celebration is a political meeting of leading nationalists, but the celebration begins in the morning with a traditional festival in which the different municipal organizations from the party set up stands to sell drinks and their more typical products, all brightened up by traditional music. Dances and traditional sports are also enjoyed. The celebration takes place in an open air arena (currently in Foronda, Álava), and lasts until nightfall.

Electoral performance

See also

• Basque Republic
• Euzkadi
• History of the Basques (Late Modern Period)
• Luis María Bandrés

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Gibbons, John (1999), Spanish Politics Today, Manchester University Press, 174, ISBN 978-0-7190-4946-0
• Hepburn, Eve (2013), New Challenges for Stateless Nationalist and Regionalist Parties, Routledge, 186, ISBN 978-1-317-96596-1
• Anttiroiko, Ari-Veikko; Mälkiä, Matti (2007), Encyclopedia of Digital Government, Idea Group Inc (IGI), 1916, ISBN 978-1-59140-790-4
• Verney, Susannah (2013), Euroscepticism in Southern Europe: A Diachronic Perspective, Routledge, 224, ISBN 978-1-317-99611-8
• Ştefuriuc, Irina (2013), Government Formation in Multi-Level Settings: Party Strategy and Institutional Constraints, Palgrave Macmillan, 200, ISBN 978-1-137-30074-4
• Cabestan, Jean-Pierre; Pavković, Aleksandar (2013), Secessionism and Separatism in Europe and Asia: To Have a State of One's Own, Routledge, 246, ISBN 978-0-415-66774-6
• López Basaguren, Alberto; Escajedo San Epifanio, Leire (2013), The Ways of Federalism in Western Countries and the Horizons of Territorial Autonomy in Spain: Volume 2, Springer Science & Business Media, 924, ISBN 978-3-642-27717-7
• Chislett, William (2013), Spain: What Everyone Needs to KnowRG, What Everyone Needs to Know, Oxford University Press, 256, ISBN 978-0-19-993645-8

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Basque Nationalist Party.

• EAJ-PNV page in English (in Basque) (in Spanish) (in English)
• EGI, youth movement of EAJ-PNV (in Basque)
• Basque Nationalism Museum (in Spanish)(in Basque) (in English)
• The cradle of Basque nationalism
• Manifiesto y Organización del Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV's internal rules from 1906. As heavy scanned JPEG images of Spanish text. (in Spanish)
• EAJ-PNV Ordizia (in Basque) (in Spanish)