Basque Country election

Separatists achieve historic victory in Spain

Cheering supporters of the separatist alliance after the results were announced

(Bild: AP)

For the first time, a separatist party in the Basque Country has succeeded in winning a parliamentary election. After counting around 95% of the votes, the separatist left-wing alliance EH Bildu, which advocates independence for the region in the north of Spain, won 27 seats - six more than in the last vote in 2020, when EH Bildu, which was founded in 2012, achieved the best result in its history to date with 21 seats.

However, the separatists remain in opposition, as late in the evening it became clear that the governing coalition between the conservative regional party PNV and the Socialists (PSOE) would continue. According to the available results, PNV (27) and PSOE (12) have an absolute majority of 39 of the 75 seats in the parliament in Vitoria, as the electoral authority announced. This means only two seats less for the coalition parties.

(Bild: APA/AFP/ANDER GILLENEA)

The terror of ETA
The terrorist organization ETA had waged a bloody struggle for an independent Basque country in Spain for decades. Around 3,000 attacks left 857 people dead and around 2,600 injured. The organization announced its dissolution in 2018. The Basque Country is now one of the most prosperous of Spain's so-called autonomous regions.