The atypical Basque electoral campaign reaches normality starting this weekend, after the celebrations in Bizkaia linked to Athletic's victory in the Cup, the break due to the death of Lehendakari Ardanza and, before that, the holiday period. The PNV candidates, Imanol Pradales, and EH Bildu, Pello Otxandiano, keep their swords raised in a fight that continues to be very tight, although the disposition of both parties is very different. The jeltzale party needs to mobilize its electorate and is willing to take risks in a decisive week, while Bildu, with a very high voter loyalty, notices the wind in its favor and seems to be counting the days to vote.
The PNV opted yesterday to take care of territorial balances, a complicated issue in Euskadi. The celebrations for Athletic's cup title have captured political and informative attention for a week and, to the extent that there is a certain connection between the PNV and the Biscayan territory, the jeltzales fear a boomerang effect in the rest of the territories, given the boredom that could have caused so much celebration in Gipuzkoa and Álava.
It is eloquent that Imanol Pradales, after crossing the estuary in his lifelong trawler alongside the Athletic barge, got into a car at full speed to go to an event in Gipuzkoa, where he repeated yesterday presenting an investment of 50 million euros to remodel the entire Anoeta sports complex.
Bildu, meanwhile, continues to commit to not moving one bit from its line during this campaign. The nationalist formation is getting people to talk about the issues that interest them, linked to the management of PNV and PSE in the Basque Government (Health System, housing...), and they do not want anything to disturb that direction, not even the sudden irruption of Pablo Iglesias in the Basque campaign.
The leader of Podemos visited Euskadi yesterday to question, as he already did on social networks, Bildu's proposal to form "a cooperative government", a formula that, in the event of the victory of the nationalist coalition, would involve a minority government that I would seek major agreements with PNV, PSE and, if they achieve representation, Podemos and Sumar. Iglesias asked the nationalist party to issue an order to Pedro Sánchez to facilitate, through the PSE, a left-wing government in Euskadi "in exchange for stability in Madrid." The nationalist formation, however, continued its course.
