The electoral race for the Basque Parliament elections next spring is based on a situation unprecedented in recent years: the main candidates are unknown to public opinion. According to the latest Sociometer of the Basque Government, not even 4 out of every 10 Basques know the heads of the list of PNV, EH Bildu, PSE and PP, who in all four cases debut as candidates for lehendakari.
The situation, logically, is explained by the limited experience in the political front line of the first swords of these formations, with the exception of Javier de Andrés (PP), although it also reflects an evident disconnection with respect to politics.
In the case of the PNV candidate, Imanol Pradales, 37% of those surveyed know him and, despite his performance in the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, he is only slightly better known in Bizkaia (knowledge amounts to 39% in that territory). . The head of the list, Jeltzale, is clearly better known among those who vote for his formation (up to 60% knowledge) and also among those over 65 years of age (51%).
In the case of the head of EH Bildu's list, Pello Otxandiano, who according to surveys will fight a close fight with Pradales, barely 34% of those surveyed know him. Also in this case, he is clearly better known among the voters of his party (he reaches 63%), although no significant differences are seen based on the rest of the indicators.
The PSE candidate, Eneko Andueza, slightly surpasses the previous ones based on the degree of knowledge, and 38% of those surveyed indicate that they know who he is. This figure, however, is very limited, since he became the general secretary of the PSE more than two years ago.
Slightly below is the PP candidate, Javier de Andrés, whom only 31% of those surveyed know; However, in this case there is a very important gap between territories. In Álava, where he was deputy general, 51% of those surveyed know him, while the level of knowledge barely reaches 27% in Bizkaia.
The best-known candidate is, as in previous polls, Miren Gorrotxategi, from Elkarrekin Podemos, the only candidate for lehendakari who will not debut in the Basque elections that will probably be held in April. In any case, the head of the purple formation list is not very well known either: only 48% of the people surveyed know him.
The data from this Sociometer regarding the degree of knowledge of the candidates are consistent with those of other studies presented in recent weeks. However, it should be noted that the Sociometer takes into account the spontaneous knowledge of the candidates; The EiTB Focus survey, meanwhile, measured the suggested knowledge, so that the percentages increased significantly: 58% of those surveyed knew Pradales; 55% to Otxandiano; 54% to Andueza; 53% to Gorrotxategi; and 45% to De Andrés. Sumar's candidate, Alba García, was known to 25% of the people who were suggested her name and her relationship with the party with which she will run.
Regarding the evaluation of the candidates, only Pello Otxandiano (5.3) and Imanol Pradales (5.0) approve (Miren Gorrotxategi, 4.7; Eneko Andueza, 4.4; Javier de Andrés, 3.8), although these data have limited value given the low levels of knowledge.
This lack of knowledge of the candidates is one of the most relevant factors that the Basque parties face in this pre-campaign and even conditions the date of the elections. It is the prerogative of the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, to decide on what date they will take place, although he will make the final decision in agreement with his party. The need for filming and time to make Pradales known is one of the factors that is on the table. The elections will most likely be held on April 21, so the Lehendakari should dissolve the Basque Parliament before the end of the month, 54 days before that date. Are half a hundred days enough to make your candidate known? The answer will come in the coming weeks thanks to the work that the demoscopic companies are developing in recent weeks. At the moment, there is a very close fight between PNV and EH Bildu, who are practically tied even in the degree of knowledge of their candidates.
