Republican News · Thursday 22 May 2003

Aznar disenfranchises Basque electorate

Basque cultural, grassroots, language, media, and youth organisations have been the target of the Spanish establishment's latest campaign of repression and banning. The right-wing Spanish government, headed by José María Aznar - with the help of the Spanish judiciary- has waged a war against anything symbolising Basque identity and resistance. After the banning of Batasuna on 17 March, the Spanish government is set to prevent Basque pro-independence citizens groups and political organisations from participating in the local elections on 25 May, effectively preventing more than 100,000 Basques of their right to vote for what they believe in.

This is a Spanish government that prides itself on its democratic character and following the rule of the law. The meaning of democracy for Prime Minister Aznar and his colleagues includes the banning of political parties, the closure of newspapers and radio stations, the prosecution of activists involved in the promotion of Basque language and culture, the imprisonment of the executive of Basque youth organisations, the violation of political prisoners' human rights, and the torture of detainees - which has been repeatedly denounced by human rights organisations.

Aznar's attitude towards law is one of contempt, as his administration imposes its own interpretation of law - or just creates new bills and acts - to use against Basques. And all this with the ready help of a set of corrupt judges eager to please. When it comes to the rights of political representation, and freedom of expression and association, the law is ignored. And the same applies to political prisoners, who are being penalised because of their political status even though this is not officially recognised, serving longer sentences away from their homes and having their rights ignored. From now on they will not be allowed to study while in prison, in contravention of international law.

However, those who in the Basque Country support independence keep trying to find new ways or resistance to the raising tide of repression. Once it was clear that Batasuna would be banned to prevent the political group from contesting the local elections and provincial parliaments (juntas generales), Autodeterminaziorako Bilgunea (AuB) was founded. From 13 February, representatives from the Basque left-wing pro independence movement, as well as those from other political backgrounds, promised to advance a new political initiative based on two principles: to demand the right of the Basque people to make decisions regarding their future and supporting a democratic solution to the Basque political conflict.

On 15 March, 15,000 people attended a demonstration to denounce the various attacks against Euskal Herria (Basque Country). It was then that AuB announced that they would put forward candidates for the elections to the Parliament of Nafarroa and to the Juntas Generales in Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa.

The reaction of the Spanish government to this new initiative was made known through the pages of one of its friendly media: on 24 March, the conservative Spanish daily newspaper "El Mundo" announced the intention of the Spanish Public Prosecutor to impede AuB and the electoral platforms created in the towns and cities of Araba, Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa and Nafarroa, presenting its candidates from standing in the elections.

However, and despise repression and legal threats, on 18 April AuB announced that 80,000 citizens had presented themselves in notarys' offices and town halls to support, through their signatures, the petition that the new political party be allowed contest the May elections. In record time of one week, AuB had managed to fulfil the requirements laid down under Spanish legislation to be able to participate in the elections, and by the end of the month the highest authority in electoral matters, the electoral juntas, approved the almost 250 local candidates AuB put forward for the elections.

On 3 May, early in the night, a decision of the Spanish Supreme Court confirmed that 241 of the candidates would not be allowed to contest the elections.

At the beginning of May, AuB had met with various representatives of political groups to request them to ensure that the ballot be respected, ignoring the efforts of the State, who will consider AuB's ballot papers to be null and void.

AuB lawyers appealed to the Spanish Constitutional Court against the annulment of the candidatures. The Court ruled against their case, so they will now be taking the case against the Spanish establishment to the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

This has been the latest chapter in a well established pattern, where Spanish government-friendly media embark on a campaign of finger pointing at an organisation, then government ministers go public, venting their anger at the leniency of the courts towards the group in question until finally, the courts step in to finish the job. In all the cases of arrests, those charged will not be tried for years and in some cases, they will be never brought to court. Those accused have not even the chance of proving their innocence because their guilt is taken for granted.

Otegi speaks out

Arnaldo Otegi, the representative of the left wing pro-independence movement, says that "these are clearly undemocratic elections". Otegi believes that the elections of 25 May will demonstrate that the Spanish State is the main obstacle to real democracy in the Basque Country.

"The popular response to the call made by AuB has to be evaluated in the most positive manner possible, as does that of the different popular local platforms in the quest for signatures to ensure its presence in the coming elections," he says. "We should remember the difficulties involved in bringing thousands of people before a notary, making them queue up before the secretary in the town hall... I think this has been the most massive collection of signatures ever in Euskal Herria. This is another great challenge that has been met with distinction. It is the second great slap in the face for Aznar."

Faced with the banning of AuB candidates, the new party plans to hand out their own ballot cards so that everybody can exercise their right to vote?

Otegi says the aim of this plan is to keep the door to politics open to the left-wing pro-independence movement.

"Mr Aznar is not going to be able to prevent the ideas of the left nationalist movement and popular candidates from being present in these elections," he says. "It should be remembered that when they shut newspaper Egin, Aznar had the gall to say in Ankara: 'What did they think, that we wouldn't dare to do it?' Well that's what we are saying to him now: What did you think, that we wouldn't dare to do it? We do dare and the ballot boxes are going to be full of nationalist and left wing ideas."

Asked whether voting for a banned candidate would be a waste of a vote, Otegi says that "tens or hundreds of thousands of Basques who peacefully and democratically choose a left wing and nationalist option are not going to have political representation because a fascist called Aznar wants it to be that way, while others take advantage of the situation and implement what is dictated by the fascist. Do they support that Aznar, in collaboration with the Basque conservative PNV and EA, should decide who our councillors are? That is the debate.

"How can anyone who claims to be nationalist, and believes that the sovereignty of the Basque nation belongs to the Basque people, say that the vote of a Basque is not valid in these elections? What is null is the political system, because there is going to be a clear fracture between Basque popular will and Spanish legality. And we all have to choose between respecting the popular will or the legality imposed by a fascist like Aznar."

"These are clearly undemocratic elections from day one. This can be seen by anyone. This is a country where they close newspapers, they make political organisations illegal and they plan ideological apartheid against a sector of society that is pro-independence and left-wing."