Statement concerning Local and Regional Elections in the Basque Country
The 27th of May there will be Local and Regional Elections in the Spanish State.
After the banning of the recently created new Political Party ASB, more than 82,000 basques backed with their signatures in Notary Offices the creation of 225 electoral lists to run for these elections.
The Spanish justice, after the petitions done by State Attorney and Government itself has banned all these electoral lists promoted by the pro- independence left in the Basque Country.
Another 133 electoral lists of the Historical political party ANV have also been banned by the Spanish State. ANV, a legal political party formed in 1931 with a long tradition fighting fascism.
Spanish National Police, Spanish Guardia Civil and Basque Autonomous Police (ertzaintza) have investigated more than 11,000 citizens, among them most of the candidates, in order to justify this “juridical” decision. Lists containing Ideological background of citizens have been forwarded from police offices to courts.
“The Political parties law” has been used or misused in order to bann all these lists. A law considered to be a step forward in the criminalisation of ideas by european Human Right and Juridical associations.
This decision creates serious difficulties to a democratic solution of the ongoing conflict in the Basque Country.
The MEPs signing this statement, considers this banning to be a serious attack against the most basic civil and political rights in Europe.
We make an appeal to the Spanish state to stop such measures and to promote the respect of civil and political rights.
In the Basque Country a political peaceful resolution, without any violence, of the conflict is necessary. All international actors, including ourselves, should promote this political solution based in the respect of all individual and collective rights.
Strasbourg
23 May 2007
1- Jens Holm, Member of the European Parliament, (Sweden)
2- Helmuth Markov, Member of the European Parliament, (Germany)
3- Eva-Britt Svensson, Member of the European Parliament, (Sweden)
4- Tatjana Zdanoka, Member of the European Parliament, (Latvia)
5- Raul Romeva i Rueda, Member of the European Parliament, (Catalonia)
6- Bernat Joan i Mari, Member of the European Parliament, (Catalonia)
7- Bairbre de Brun, Member of the European Parliament, (Ireland)
8- Mary Lou Mc Donald, Member of the European Parliament, (Ireland)
9- Jiri Mastalka, Member of the European Parliament, (Czech Republic)
10- Erik Meijer, Member of the European Parliament, (Netherlands)
11- Vladimir Remek, Member of the European Parliament, (Czech Republic)
12- Esko Seppanen, Member of the European Parliament, (Finland)
13- Miguel Portas, Member of the European Parliament, (Portugal)
14- André Brie, Member of the European Parliament, (Germany)
15- Vera Flasarova, Member of the European Parliament, (Czech Republic)
16- Feleknas Uca, Member of the European Parliament, (Germany)
17- Gabriele Zimmer, Member of the European Parliament, (Germany)