Aralar Party

Aralar is a Basque- left nationalist party in the Basque Country and the Spanish autonomous region of Navarra. The party's name comes from the Sierra de Aralar, a Mittelgebirgszug which extends over parts of the Basque province of Gipuzkoa and Navarre, thus documenting the claim of Basque nationalism in all areas with the Basque-speaking areas of settlement.

History

Aralar emerged in the nineties as a moderate, critical movement within the ETA -affiliated party Batasuna and its successor Euskal Herritarok ( EH ) under the leadership of Patxi Zabaleta. After breaking the truce by ETA in 2000 there was a fierce debate within the EH on the way forward of the left patriotism in the Basque Country and contention on the internal organization, which eventually led to the elimination of the Aralar as an independent party.

Aralar took 2004 to the Spanish parliamentary elections in part, remained in the electoral district of the Basque Country but without seat in Navarra Aralar involved in the joint candidacy Nafarroa Bai (Eng. "Yes to Navarre "), which combines several Basque- nationalist parties (in addition Aralar: PNV, EA, Batzarre and independent ) and a seat in the Spanish Parliament for the independent candidate Uxue Barkos Berruezo reached. In the 2008 elections Nafarroa Bai was able to repeat this result. Navarre is Basque nationalists for a historic part of the Basque Country, however, only part of the population of Navarre regarded as Basques.

In the 2004 European elections Aralar went to alone, but did not win a seat

In November 2004, the second congress of the party held in San Sebastián (Donostia ) instead, where Patxi Zabaleta was confirmed as party leader and the youth organization Iratzarri ( in Basque, "Wake up !") Was founded. The members chosen not to continue their own way to go as an independent party.

At the regional level it fell Aralar in the Basque Country first hard to argue against the radical Basque left - nationalist parties. In the Basque regional elections in 2005, she came to 2.3% and moved to a seat for the MPs Aintzane Ezenarro from the province of Gipuzkoa in parliament - the ETA - Batasuna close successor party EHAK came, however, to 12.5 % and 9 seats. Only after the Prohibition of EHAK end of 2008 succeeded Aralar to distinguish itself as an alternative to the nationalist left spectrum: In the Basque regional elections of 2009 they came to 6.1% and four deputies.

Ideology

The members of Aralar describe themselves as left Basque nationalists. You put one hand for Democracy and Socialism, and are close to anti-globalization and environmental movements, on the other hand they represent the independence of the historic Basque country as a republic by the recognition as a people and the right to self-determination. Aralar rejects the violence of the state ( police and military ) as well as from the ETA; unlike Batasuna and its successor parties criticized Aralar again and again, individual attacks. As a means of struggle for independence Aralar advocated civil disobedience as well as the way through the democratic institutions.

Since Aralar but differs only in the propagated agents, not to the policy goals of ETA and ETA -affiliated parties, it is both the moderate Basque nationalists ( PNV and EA) as well as of the total Spanish parties (PSOE and PP) mere cosmetics of radical nationalism criticized. However, it was a ban, due to the open rejection of ETA violence from Aralars not yet been considered.