Euskadiko Ezkerra

Euskadiko Ezkerra
General Secretary	Mario Onaindia (1982-1985) Kepa Aulestia (1985-1991) Jon Larrinaga (1991-1993)
Founded	1977 (1977)
Dissolved	1993 (1993)
Merged into	PSE-EE
Ideology	1977-1982: Socialism Basque nationalism 1982-1988: Eurocommunism Basque nationalism 1988: Social democracy
Political position	Left-wing
European affiliation	None
International affiliation	None
Colours	Green
Politics of Basque Country

Basque Country
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Basque Country
Statute of Autonomy Statute of Autonomy Ibarretxe Plan
President Lehendakari (List) Iñigo Urkullu
Parliament Eusko Legebiltzarra Speaker Bakartxo Tejeria
Judiciary High Tribunal of Justice Ombudsman
Public order Home Office Basque Police - Ertzaintza Municipal police - Udaltzaingoa
Political parties Parliamentary parties PNV, EH Bildu, PSE-EE, PP, UPyD
Former political parties Aralar, Batasuna, EMK, DCV-EKD, EE, EuE, EIA, EA, EAE-ANV, EB-B, HASI, HZ
Elections 1979 referendum 1980 parliament 1984 parliament 1986 parliament 1990 parliament 1994 parliament 1998 parliament 2001 parliament 2005 parliament 2009 parliament 2012 parliament
Administrative divisions Provinces Gipuzkoa Biscay Álava Comarcas Municipialities
Other countries Atlas Politics portal

Mural painted at Gernika in 1987, conmemorating the bombing of Gernika.

Euskadiko Ezkerra (EE; English: Basque Country Left) was a Basque socialist political organisation. It was founded as a coalition of Euskal Iraultzarako Alderdia (EIA, Basque Party for Revolution or Party for Basque Revolution) and other Basque Marxist forces in 1977 to present lists for the Spanish general elections in the constituencies of Vizcaya, Guipúzcoa and Álava, while UNAI, an allied coalition, was to present a list in the constituency of Navarre.

History

EE's list in Guipúzcoa won one seat in the Spanish Congress for Francisco Letamendia, one in the Senate for Juan María Bandrés, a lawyer for ETA members, and none in the other constituencies. Many prominent members of EE eventually separated from the coalition and integrated into Herri Batasuna (HB). EE called for "no" in the Referendum for Spanish Constitution in 1978.

Several of the members of ETA (pm) joined peaceful political action in EE after they abandoned violence and negotiated pardons from the Spanish government.

In 1982 it merged with some sectors of PCE-EPK (the Basque branch of PCE) and became a party under the name EE-IPS, Euskadiko Ezkerra-Izquierda para el Socialismo ("Left for Socialism"), while often using the simpler name Euskadiko Ezkerra. Its general secretary in this period was Mario Onaindia, a former ETA member during the Franco era, later replaced by Kepa Aulestia.

EE called for a "no" on the membership of Spain in NATO in the referendum held in 1986. While the "yes" vote won nationally, the "no" campaign triumphed in the Basque Autonomous Community.

After the split of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and the creation of Eusko Alkartasuna (EA) in 1987, EE established several coalitions with the latter. In 1991 EE entered in the government of the Basque Autonomous Community in coalition with both PNV and EA.

Later, in 1991, a majority of party affiliates approved a merger with Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE), the branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) for the Basque Autonomous Community. The resulting party is the current PSE-EE.

However a section of Euskadiko Ezkerra disagreed with the PSE merger, and, since the Euskadiko Ezkerra name was retained by the majority of members who approved the merger with the PSE, the remaining faction went on to create a new party, Euskal Ezkerra (EuE, Basque Left) which, in turn, merged soon after with Eusko Alkartasuna.

External links

• Gaizka Fernández Soldevilla, Agur a las armas. EIA, Euskadiko Ezkerra y la disolución de ETA político-militar (1976-1985), en Sancho el sabio. Revista de cultura e investigación vasca, ISSN 1131-5350, Nº 33, 2010, pp. 55–96