- In recent days Covite and several media outlets have debated 44 members of the electoral census of the independence coalition and have made it one of the central themes of the campaign. The seven candidates denounce “partisan interests” in a letter posted on Tuesday morning. Condemned by the National High Court for blood crimes, the seven have announced the withdrawal of the candidature to collaborate in coexistence and peace. EH Bildu applauds the decision at a press conference.
Seven former ETA members convicted by the Spanish National High Court for blood crimes have chosen to leave EH Bildu’s lists and will not be councillors in the upcoming elections on 28 May. This has been reported in the letter sent to Naiz entitled Our Commitment on Tuesday morning: “We reject our candidatures as far as possible and ensure that under no circumstances will we take the position of councillor.” The signatories are: José Antonio Torre Altonaga, Asier Uribarri Benito, Lander Maruri Basagoiti, Begoña Uzkudun Etxenagusia, José Ramón Rojo González, Juan Carlos Arriaga Martínez and Agustín Muiños Díaz.
The response of the candidates from the left coalition follows the controversy of recent days. The Victims of Terrorism Group, Covite, reported that 44 EH Bildu candidates were convicted in the past for their membership in ETA, which provoked numerous reactions. The Spanish right has also come to call for the legalization of EH Bildu.
“They mentioned 44 candidates and mostly condemned the ‘everything is ETA’ strategy. They pursued purely political acts and violated civil and political rights to many citizens.” They denounce that it would be contrary to minority democratic principles to continue to trample on these rights.
However, Naiz’s paper points out that the case of the seven candidates who took a step back on Tuesday is different, “for reasons that condemned us”, that is, because the National Court sentenced them for blood crimes: “We will not now deny the militancy of our past, nor the responsibility we assume.” They decide to withdraw from the lists in order to contribute to the construction of peace and coexistence: “The composition of our peoples’ lists has become a matter of great importance, forcing us, for various reasons, to withdraw our candidatures.”
They are ratified in their accession to the Declaration of the Eighteenth of October and in their initial participation in the strategic change of the Abertzale left: “We accept a clear choice for a purely political and democratic path.” In the letter they address the victims of ETA, who undertake not to bear more than they have suffered with this decision.
EH General Coordinator Bildu, Arnaldo Otegi, appeared at 12:00 at Donostia headquarters with the help of members of the Political Bureau and applauded the decision: "In the sense of commitment to coexistence is an undoubted gesture".