The PNB candidate for lehendakari, Imanol Pradales, received La Vanguardia in Sabin Etxea a few hours after Iñigo Urkullu announced the date of the Basque elections and gave a speech that seemed like an epilogue. The date, April 21, appears doubly marked on the calendar of this university professor and doctor in Sociology and Political Sciences, as it forces him to fill his agenda for the next 56 days and, moreover, it coincides with his 49th birthday The polls predict that, like the other candidates, he is still little known to the majority of the electorate, but there is no sign of restlessness in his speech. He makes a firm defense of stability in the Spanish legislature and sees Junts in this bet, which ensures that it will bring more income from a national, Basque and Catalan point of view.
Let’s start with his coordinated policies: in the territorial issue he has defined himself as a pragmatic pro-independence…
The PNB is an instrument at the service of the transformation and freedom of Euskadi and, obviously, the ideology of the PNB is what it is and those of us at the head of the party’s representation, logically, we are what we are. This does not make it difficult for one to know the society in which he finds himself and the historical and political moment in which he lives. I define myself as an independenceist with my feet on the ground, because I know the reality I come from and where I am.
And on the left-right axis? In which definition do you feel most comfortable: Christian Democrat, Social Liberal, Social Democrat…?
I feel very comfortable with what the PNB has done historically, which is a cross-class party that has had the ability to incorporate working-class people, along with others who may have been small or medium-sized entrepreneurs, etc. There has been a capacity for integration that I believe is the formula for the success it has had politically and electorally. I don’t like labels; we have to talk about the policies we develop, and here the PNB has promoted policies to promote the creation of wealth and employment and, at the same time, social cohesion. They are two sides of the same coin.
In four years, the PNB has gone from practically its electoral ceiling in municipal and general elections to being close to its floor in these elections. What happened?
Many things have happened and the world has become very complicated. There have been international impacts that have affected all the formations that were at the head of governments. We have experienced a pandemic shock that as a society has affected us more than we think, we also see that society has become more demanding in terms of public policies, there is a disaffection towards politics that particularly affects those who they rule A lot has happened and the PNB, as the governing party that it is, has not been a stranger to all of this. In addition, being in power and governing, having this focus, it is obvious that in some matters we have not got it right or we have not been able to explain to society what we intended to do. This has generated a disaffection that in our case erupted in the municipal and regional councils, especially in the form of abstention. It must be said, even so, that we identified that something was moving in society and that is why we activated the listening process
With a view to reconnecting with the electorate, in this pre-campaign he talks about a “welfare, reliable and global Basque”. What does it claim with this leitmotif?
The lever of self-government, which was the PNB’s bet, has led us to a welfare society, very different from the one we knew in the eighties, with high quality of life indices, although we obviously have our problems However, success in the past is no guarantee of success in the future. We are in an international and European moment in which things have become very complicated. Populist movements have emerged around the world that seek to undermine democratic foundations and principles. It is here that I claim that we must strengthen the basic elements of present well-being against the simple recipes of populism.
What do you mean by well-being?
For me, well-being is, first of all, health, an area in which the pandemic has strained all health systems and our shortcomings have been seen, and it is also emotional health. Welfare is the generation of wealth, because we hear populist messages that imply that money grows on trees. And this generation of wealth, the vanguard of job creation and quality employment, calls for a commitment to the new economy and to face the energy, ecological and digital transitions, areas in which many elements can appear to reindustrialize the country , as we did in the eighties. Well-being is an education that moves towards excellence, also in the field of professional training, in which we are an international reference, and in the university. And well-being is also security or strengthening the field of care.
What is meant by a “reliable and global” Euskadi?
I claim that Euskadi must continue to be a country that can be trusted from outside, when it comes to making investments or, also, when they visit us. European institutions are trusted because we are a serious and stable country where we do not play with the basics. Moreover, this reliability is important to those of us who live here, with a view to personal, life and professional development. Regarding the concept of global, I claim to politically internationalize Euskadi, just as our companies have internationalized. It is necessary to be in multilateral organizations where decisions are made that end up affecting us.
In terms of self-government, what is your bet for the next four years?
There are three moments in our roadmap. The first is to transfer three powers that are pending in the Statute of Gernika and that must arrive now [on Friday itself, the day of the interview, two were closed]. Regarding the second, we have given ourselves a maximum of two years to complete the Statute in its entirety, that is to say, including the economic regime of Social Security. Thirdly, the PNB and the PSOE have committed to open a new stage for the improvement of Basque self-government. Here we have established several fundamental elements to move forward: national recognition of the Basque Country, a system of guarantees based on bilateralism and the recognition of the right to decide.
Do you see your party bringing down the Government of Pedro Sánchez if it does not comply with the agreements set for the Ecuador of the mandate?
I see the PNB fulfilling its word and I hope that the PSOE will do the same and fulfill what has been signed. The PNB has always opted for stability, in Euskadi and in the State. It is the best way to move forward in terms of self-government.
And together? Do you see them as committed to the legislature moving forward?
I think so. Together it has been coming to a stage of more pragmatism. We are in a complex moment with the Amnesty law, but I think it is betting on stability. This bet will bring us more income from the national, Basque and Catalan point of view. It’s the smartest thing right now.
