The PNV opens a new era calling for unity with Aitor Esteban at the helm.

BarcelonaThe PNV opens a new era with Aitor Esteban at its head. What has been for years the The most visible face of the Jeltzales in the Congress of Deputies has taken over from Andoni Ortuzar as president of the PNV at the party's 9th General Assembly in San Sebastián this Sunday. Achieving the national liberation of Euskadi, maintaining the cohesion of Basque society, and strengthening the welfare state remain on the list of milestones that Esteban's renewed executive aims to achieve. But, beyond that, the new leader called for unity and urged the banishment of "laziness and disloyalty" from the ranks of the PNV. If there are disagreements, he warned, they must be channeled internally. "There are not two souls in the PNV. There are 22,000! Those of each member of the party," exclaimed Esteban, excited, as he took the makila –traditional Basque walking stick from the hands of his ancestor. Ortuzar said he was giving up challenging him for the leadership. of the party after 12 years as president to avoid the internal division that a confrontation would have caused. "Before names, what matters is preserving the party as a fundamental instrument for the freedom of this people," Esteban said.

At this weekend's congress, the PNV updated its roadmap for the next four years, which focuses on political action in Europe: the PNV are sworn to obtain recognition of the Basque nation within the European Union and contribute to strengthening the European project in the face of "autocracies." All this without renouncing the right to self-determination, but expressing the powers of the autonomous communities to the maximum extent possible. "When we talk about the right to decide, about new frameworks, we will not waste any opportunity to increase self-government. In the current situation, we will exhaust all available opportunities to move forward," Esteban claimed.

The rivalry with Bildu

The party also reaffirmed its commitment to human rights and democracy, values that, according to Esteban, must take precedence over even the "nationalist ideal." "There is no homeland worth denying human rights," warned the new president of the PNV. His election was unanimous: he was supported by all 100 members of the party's general assembly, which was held at the Atano III Frontón. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), expressed the hope that this new phase would serve to ensure the party continues to lead the Basque Country and achieve "new levels of well-being" for Basque society.

The PNV is facing its renewal at a time when in which Bildu is hot on its heels; both parties tied for seats in the April 2024 elections. With this competition as a backdrop, the party's leaders took advantage of this weekend's congress to strengthen their confidence in the PNV's "own" model: "A democratic, proactive, integrative, open, focused, and European model. Taking advantage of the stage, the new president also sent out a message to all Basque nationalists: "In the party of our people, on the court of life, you have to know how to read the moments. You have to know when you are stronger than your opponent, when it's time to risk the fronton and when to launch the rebound [...] But, above all, whoever calls themselves abertzale is."