Satisfaction in the leading parties, critics in opposition parties

The announcement of the lehendakari Juan José Ibarretxe of calling for a referendum for next year, provoked and immediate reaction from all the spokesmen of the different political parties on the corridors of the Basque Parliament.

The members of the leading parties expressed their satisfaction because this initiative “leaves the decision on the hands of the Parliament and the citizens”.

The spokesman of the Nationalist Party, Joseba Egibar, considers Ibarretxe’s words “an intelligent political proposal” to fulfil what he said when he was named lehendakari.

The spokesman of Basque nationalist party Eusko Alkartasuna, Unai Ziarreta considers the proposal “the best choice from the democratic point of view”.

The representative of Basque communist party Ezker Batua, Oskar Matute said the lehendakari "opened a new democratic line that cannot be rejected from the opposition”.

Critics from the opposition

The groups that do not form the government are the opposition to this “route page”. All them, except Basque nationalist left-wing party Aralar, criticise Ibarretxe’s proposal for different reasons.

The spokesman of the Socialist Party, José Antonio Pastor, qualified this proposal as a “fraud”. In his opinion, “nobody thinks a proposal will end up with violence in the Basque Country”.

On the other hand, the representative of the Conservative opposition Popular Party, Leopoldo Barreda, said that Ibarretxe’s discourse “marks the way only for nationalist, towards radicalism”.

Moreover, the spokeswoman of the EHAK Nekane Erauskin said that “those proposals that are not for the whole Basque Country won’t bring any solution”.

Finally the Parliament member of Basque nationalist left-wing party Aralar Aintzane Ezenarro supported the initiative of the lehendakari because “it overcomes the debate, referendum yes or no”.

Opinion for other political parties outside the Parliament

The Outlawed Basque party Batasuna, called for a gathering outside the Basque Parliament.

The spokesman of this political party, Pernando Barrena criticises the referendum “because it doesn’t allow Basque people from the 7 territories of country, to decide their future freely”.