PNV and PSE-EE have made official their agreement to prevent EH Bildu from governing in the City Council of Vitoria and the Diputación de Guipúzcoa, where it was the most voted political party on 28-M. The confirmation of the pact does not specify in which institutions it will materialize and obviates that to achieve that Maider Etxebarria (PSE) is mayor of Vitoria and Eider Mendoza (PNV) general deputy of Guipúzcoa will need the votes in favor of the Basque PP. But both parties ratify their alliance to guarantee "governability" against Arnaldo Otegi's coalition.

Nationalists and Socialists have announced their fifth institutional agreement since in 2015 they buried the hard confrontation that broke out in December 2009 when Patxi López accepted to be lehendakari with the support of the PP and, for the first time, send the PNV to the opposition. The brief summary provided by both parties on the new pact refers directly to the commitment to "governability" in a "diverse and fragmented electoral map in Euskadi" although it makes no reference to the fact that the electoral climate will extend, at least, until next July 23 and explains the speed of this agreement.

The two parties subscribe to the "highly satisfactory balance" of the pacts closed since 2015 although the results of the past 28-M lower the expectations of the PNV while they provoked the hubbub in the PSE-EE on a sad election night in Ferran that was signed hours later with the electoral advance decreed by Sánchez.

The two parties allude to the need to establish "clear bases" to guarantee "governability" ignoring different proposals launched both by the Basque PP – the most generous with its support 'gratis et amore' to block Bildu – and the abertzale coalition and Podemos, which have reiterated the possible "left" governments with the Socialists of Andueza.

PNV and PSE-EE intend to govern with "punctual" pacts in those institutions in which they do not get a majority and include EH Bildu as possible allies. Those of Otegi, as recalled this week of electoral hangover the coordinator of EH Bildu, has been the faithful ally of Pedro Sánchez in Congress and María Chivite in the Government of Navarra. It also made it easier for the PNV to govern in Alava municipalities such as Labastida and Laguardia in which the PP had won in 2019 without reaching an absolute majority.

Andoni Ortuzar and Eneko Andueza will have to explain the content of the agreement and, especially, the capacity of influence of the PP of Carlos Iturgaiz, reinforced by results that make it the "key" of the investitures and, later, in the "governability". Arnaldo Otegi himself has insisted in recent days that nationalists and socialists must clarify why they prevent Rocío Vitero and Maddalen Iriarte from leading the City Council of Vitoria and the Diputación de Guipúzcoa after their victories at the polls.

The two partners include in their announcement the commitment to carry out a "strengthening of municipal policies, providing our municipalities with sufficient funding". A wink that responds to the demand of the leaders of the PSE-EE to strengthen the capacity of municipal spending, the institution with fewer own resources but that has assumed more social services during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. PNV and PSE-EE have avoided during the electoral campaign the debate on the tax reform that is on the table. An uncomfortable topic to include among a catalog of promises to citizens but that will be key from next September.

  • PNV
  • PP
  • Bildu
  • Vitoria-Gasteiz
  • Arnaldo Otegi
  • Can
  • Carlos Iturgaiz
  • Coronavirus
  • Navarre
  • Maria Chivite
  • Pedro Sanchez
  • Patxi Lopez
  • PSE
  • PSOE
  • Basque Country Elections

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Learn more