The candidate for Lehendakari of the PSE, Eneko Andueza (Eibar, 1979) tries to play his cards in a campaign marked by the growing bipartisan perception of Basque politics. All the polls place the Socialists as the third force, as the arbiter of Basque politics that will decide who governs. The chances that a coalition government with the PNB can be re-edited are high, especially if they add up to a majority, despite the fact that Andueza avoids solving this issue and intends to use the key of governability with cunning.
The polls give them 10-12 seats, a slight increase, and during the pre-campaign he assured that lehendakari Pello Otxandiano (EH Bildu) will not run. Does this mean Lehendakari Imanol Pradales (PNB) will do?
No way. We have said with whom we will not agree; we have not said with whom we will agree. We prefer, first, that the citizens decide where they place us and, from then on, it will be up to us to compare projects to see which points of coincidence we have. This does not mean that everything is done. Perhaps it is more likely that an agreement between Bildu and the PNB will be advanced.
Do you see any signs that there might be such an alliance?
Of course. Months ago I heard Mr. Otegi say that they were ready to agree with the PNB, and since then there have been more calls. In addition, every time the PNB has been asked about the issue, it has not said no. In fact, they could even do what they did in Gipuzkoa in 2011, when Bildu won and let them govern, despite the PSE offering them a governing pact.
The polls give them the key to governability, despite the fact that they can also be seen as a crutch for other parties. How does the electorate get excited in such a bipartisan context?
The PSE will decide the future of Euskadi. We will be more than decisive, essential. Therefore, if the future is in our hands, the more strength we have, the more guarantee there will be that the policies developed by the future Basque government will be progressive policies. We will decide who will govern from April 21, but, even more importantly, what policies will that future Basque government implement. It seems that everyone wants to present the election as a battle between PNB and Bildu, but the key is not whether one or the other rules. The battle is to keep doing the same or change things. The PSE is the only one capable of changing things.
You, however, come from governing. How does this message of change match the fact that it comes from a coalition Government?
The policies that the PNB would have applied without the PSE would have been different. We would not have had discounts on transport, the Education law would have been different and would have focused on national construction instead of improving students, the Climate Change law would have been different… In short, the policies, the recipes, they would have been different in terms of use, housing, transport, tourism… We make it possible for those policies to be directed and focused on what really interests the people and not on the sovereignist project of PNB and Bildu.
Does his influence go beyond the three departments that have managed this legislature?
Of course, yes. We have shown our disagreement to the Governing Council on issues such as Education, Climate Policy… We said that we did not like those laws and, finally, our goals were met.
Do you feel questioned by the criticisms in relation to the Basque Health System – Osakidetza?
Not only do we manage our departments well, but we also focus our efforts on ensuring that the governance responsibilities of our partners are handled well. Despite the fact that we have not managed Health, we have said by active and by passive what we understood should be applied to Osakidetza to solve the problems. We have said this within the Government, at meetings between partners or in parliamentary debates or between partners. We are clear and direct.
The minimum agreement between the PNB and the PSOE for the investiture of Pedro Sánchez includes a series of minimums around the renewal of Basque self-government. What is the position of the PSE?
We are betting on the renewal of the Gernika Statute, after 44 years it is time to shield all the conquered social rights. It is time for this, not to walk around wasting time on other things, which is what the PNB and Bildu want when they talk about a new status that would have as its axis the right of self-determination. We want a new Statute that protects social rights, that establishes the foundations of the Basque Country of the future and that is based on coexistence and plurality. We don’t want to waste time or make society waste time with other issues that divide and stress us, creating first- and second-rate Basques.
It is beginning to be speculated that the strengthening of the PP, accompanied by the decline of Vox, could make the popular seek an understanding with Junts and, ultimately, also with the PNB. Do you think this scenario is possible?
The PSOE still governs in Spain, it will finish the legislature and govern at least one more. The PNB is not interested in reaching this kind of agreement with the PP, because they know that Basque society would not understand it. The PP may be interested in many things, but I don’t see the PNB, even though it would politically benefit the PSE.
