Bildu remains installed in pragmatism and will not oppose the formation of a progressive Government. Or what is the same, to contribute by action or omission, to opening the door to what they call a “reactionary Government”. Without essential demands in exchange for your vote or red lines, but warning that without a “plurinational and social agenda” it is not possible to “stop the agenda of reaction in strategic terms, but only delay it”. This was stated by the spokesperson for the nationalist formation in Congress, Mertxe Aizpurua, mixing Spanish and Basque in her speech, just as she combined pragmatism and her aspirations to overcome the “Regime of '78 in all its expressions”, both socioeconomic and territorial. “A regime with which we want to break”. Precisely, his rejection of the investiture of Alberto Núñez Feijóo was based on the fact that he considers the popular ones as the main “safeguard” of the status quo and leaders of a “reactionary bloc”.
“If it depends on us there will be no reactionary governments either in the Basque Country or anywhere else,” Aizpurua began and then warned that without changes in the economic model and the territorial fit of the “nations of the State” a Executive made up of PP and Vox. Along these lines, Aizpurua celebrated that “it is impossible” for Feijóo “to reissue the alliances that the successive governments that emerged from the” 78 regime sustained for decades.”. “That time, he added, that you remember with political nostalgia in which conservative Basque and Catalan nationalisms were a crutch for the Spanish right.”. On the contrary, he defended that “there is no Government of possible progress in this State without the participation of the Basque and Catalan sovereignist left.”.
Feijóo has addressed the nationalist formation for the first time in a debate. And he has done it without detours. “Everything that Bildu says without having asked a real apology to the victims of ETA has no value.”. Do not offend me, Señora Aizpurua. I leave your votes to Mr. Sánchez, I don't want them,” began the popular leader, who demanded from the rostrum a “cordon sanitaire” against the formation.. And at this point he addressed the socialist bench. “You have to have a lot of courage to agree with those who do not condemn the murder of their colleagues,” he said..
The popular leader defended himself against the criticism of the EH Bildu spokesperson, and drew a dividing line between the “nationalism” of parties such as Junts, ERC or PNV with the nature of the Abertzales. “You are something else,” added Feijóo, addressing the Basque bench under the halo of the 'heirs of ETA'. “We know each other well because they have had many colleagues from the PP in their sights (…). They say that we Spaniards have to be grateful to Bildu. Yes, the orphans, the widows, those who were left without siblings must be very grateful,” he noted, a statement with which he lifted the popular bench from their seats..
The PP candidate for the investiture was also upset by the accusation made by Mertxe Aizpurua for the PP's pacts with Vox. Feijóo quoted Josu Ternera, “one of his bosses” when he said that “the dead were so that governments would have elements of analysis”. “And they come to talk about reactionaries? They continue to carry those convicted of blood crimes on the lists. And you come to talk to us about democracy in the Congress of Deputies,” he concluded.. “Feijóo really wanted them,” his team says.
Aizpurua and Feijóo got tangled up again in the counter-reply. The Basque spokesperson accused the popular leader of not believing “neither in coexistence nor in reconciliation”, and he again appealed to equate the terrorist group with the parliamentary formation. “You talk about fascism? Why not look at yourselves? (…) You defend the working class, but how many workers were killed?” he launched, without restraints.. The PP leader also celebrated EH Bildu's vote against his investiture. “It is an immense pride to know that Mr. Otegi can only order me no to the investiture,” he concluded..
Bildu puts pressure on the PSOE
From the political vision of the least bad and progress step by step, Bildu also sent a message to the rest of the parties of the sovereignty bloc so that they do not end up playing into the hands of the right and Pedro Sánchez.. “We hope that we all live up to the historic moment that is presented to us. May we all act with sufficient vision to not waste this opportunity.. Little noise and a lot of work. That is our formula to fulfill the word given to our people,” Aizpurua defended..
To the Socialist candidate, the Abertzale spokesperson wanted to remind him that “he must listen to and respond to the demands of Basques and Catalans” and offer “constructive responses to the national and social demands of our people and their social and working majorities.”. Otherwise, “this State would today be governed by the extreme right”. To the rest of the sovereigntist formations, Aizpurua issued an invitation to have “a lot of courage and a lot of historical responsibility” in this context.. “We will need a good dose of prudence and politics with capital letters. And, of course, also with great doses of ambition,” he added. A historic commitment, which, as he concluded, must be aimed at “lifting the mortgages that still weigh on our nations and the working majorities”.
In a speech more focused on Sánchez's investiture than Feijóo's, EH Bildu wanted to establish themselves as recipients of an electoral message last June 23 focused on “stopping the Spanish right”. In an electoral key, when Bildu is playing the competition for hegemony in Euskadi against the PNV from a strategy of institutional normalization and without prioritizing the independence axis over the social one, the representative of Arnaldo Otegi's party highlighted that “we connect with the desires of the people” from a useful policy.
“We want and offer Basque citizens the defense of their national and social rights. We want to continue improving the lives of Basques, and we want to open new democratic paths based on respect for the word and decision of our people, just as international law recognizes all the nations of the world,” he defended as a pre-campaign. of Basque elections scheduled for next May. Along these lines, he claimed that “thanks to the decisions of EH Bildu, a social shield was applied that has provided protection and tranquility to the social majority”, new regulations were approved to “control rents and promote access to housing” or ” taxes were applied to banks, electricity companies and great fortunes”.
