The PNV places, at the center of its electoral program for the general elections of 29 November, the right to decide, national recognition, and the achievement of a new political Status, considered "identity markers" of the jeltzale formation. Alongside this, it calls for full compliance with the Statute of Gernika and a bilateral relationship with the State.
In addition, Maribel Vaquero, the head of the PNV list to the Congress for Gipuzkoa, has issued a warning to the PP and Vox by pointing out that "whoever intends to push Euskadi back, will find firm opposition from the Basque Group".
Vaquero, accompanied by the heads of the Congress lists for Bizkaia and Álava, Idoia Sagastizabal and Gorja Urtaran respectively, presented this Monday afternoon at the Sabin Etxea headquarters, in Bilbao, the jeltzale electoral program, structured into five major commitments and 30 specific proposals.
In her address, the current PNV spokesperson in the lower house stressed that the 29 November meeting will take place in a context of "strong political polarization". As she denounced, "once again, it seems that Spanish politics wants to force us to choose between two blocs, between two opposing positions. But Euskadi cannot be trapped in that dynamic, nor can its voice be diluted in that confrontation".
Vaquero emphasized that "Euskadi has its own needs, its own priorities, and its own agenda". "And it needs a strong political representation, with its own voice, to defend them firmly, without subordination, and with the capacity to achieve results," she added, thereby asserting the role of the Basque Group in Madrid.
As she explained, that is the goal of the PNV electoral program, defined as "a roadmap" that sets out the formation’s commitment to Euskadi and that starts from the idea that 29 November "is not a goal, but the starting point for four years of work, negotiation, and defense of the interests of Basque society".
Vaquero acknowledged that "we know that today electoral programs are not in fashion, that it seems enough with a slogan, with announcing repeals or questioning rights that have been won. But we are not going to Madrid to feed confrontation; we are going to work. We have a plan for the 30th, whatever happens and whoever governs. If they are going to attack Euskadi, who will Euskadi trust to protect it and defend it? Evidently in the people who have built it and defended it until now".
On this line, the PNV commits itself "to defend the primary sector first, self-employed people, families and those who care for others, young people who want to become independent, to access housing and build here their life project".
The Guipuzcoan candidate also emphasized that "we are going to defend dignified pensions, a strong Basque industry, better infrastructure and also a safer, more cohesive society, prepared to face immigration demographic challenges with responsibility and far from populisms".
Five major commitments of the jeltzale program
The PNV’s program document is structured around five major commitments and 30 initiatives. These commitments involve ensuring that Basques can develop their life project in Euskadi, promoting "a working and prosperous Euskadi", ensuring that it is possible "to live with peace of mind and with rights", protecting what has already been achieved and, finally, "to decide here and make ourselves heard there".
"That last commitment summarizes one of our main identity markers: to defend the right of Euskadi to decide its future. We will continue working for the national recognition of Euskadi and for a new political status," he has assured.
In this framework, the PNV also demands "full compliance with the Statute of Gernika, a bilateral relationship based on respect and on national recognition, and the defense of historical rights". "We defend our economic Agreement and our financial autonomy against any attempt at interference or attack," he said.
A democracy "that is accountable" and a veto on a PP-Vox government
Vaquero has also defended "a democracy that is accountable, a justice that is closer and the right to the truth, justice and reparation". In this sense, she reiterated that "we will not stop demanding clarification of facts such as Mikel Zabalza, March 3, the Sanfermines of 1978, or the case of the Bar Aldana".
For this reason, the PNV will continue to demand a new Official Secrets Law and the declassification of documents "that allows the truth to be known".
The candidate has also reiterated that the jeltzales "will never facilitate a PP-Vox government". "We will not accept setbacks in rights and freedoms or challenges to our self-government. Whoever intends to push Euskadi backward will find firm opposition from our group," she has stated.
In his understanding, the trajectory of the Basque Group supports this position. He recalled that "for decades the men and women of the Basque Group in Madrid have shown that there is another way to do politics, by contributing, by dialoguing, by negotiating and by reaching agreements, with moderation and realism, institutional respect and, above all, with a priority above any other, Euskadi."
The head of the list for Gipuzkoa has stressed that "it is not only a matter of having a voice in Madrid, it is a matter of making that voice serve to improve the lives of the Basque citizens." In his view, "Euskadi has its own priorities, its own needs and its own voice and it needs a Basque Group that defends it. That is the strength of the Basque Group; it is our proposal and our commitment: to always defend, to agree on and to demand in favor of Euskadi," he concluded.