This small study is limited to the analysis of party statutes and therefore has major limitations. On the one hand, in the day-to-day life of party militants, the statutes are looked at mostly or only when there are problems. On the other hand, it must certainly be supplemented by knowledge of real practice.

In 2016, the PNV, with 37.59% of the votes cast and 28 seats, was the leader of the votes and elects, in the statutes approved that same year, in its fourth general base, says:

The Basque Nationalist Party, which has the Basque language as a Basque homeland, demands recognition of the national responsibility necessary for its normalization, in order to ensure that the linguistic rights of Basque citizens are protected and promoted, in which service will be the public offices of EAJ-PNV and the internal leaders of the Party.

The Basque Nationalist Party endorses the foundations of effective linguistic normalization: the progress of this initiative needed for effective action and practice in favour of the Basque language, its own language, minority and minority of the Basques.

In Article 90.2, where it says:

In the election of internal positions, as well as in the election of candidates to public positions, the provisions of the Balance Plan between Women and Men of EAJ-PNV and the Standardization Plan for the Use of the Basque Country, which will be in force at all times, will be taken into account.

On the national objective, in its main bases, it does not mention independence: “The political existence of this homeland will be expressed together with the recovery of its sovereignty.” “.. whose political being must be expressed from the recovery of its national sovereignty.”

To sum up, in my opinion, the assertion that the Basque language is a patriotic language is clearer than that of the political objective of the Basques, which is supposed to be fixed and realized at the same time as sovereignty is regained. As for the Basque country, the details must be found in the Plan of Use! This makes us suspect: Aren't they often excuses for not adopting more accurate usage plans? But, as has been said, we must be aware of the evolution of the plan of use and the degree of compliance.

Let's go back to the second most voted game: EHBildu coalition (21.26% of votes and 18 seats). The statutes approved in 2017, on the fifth ideological basis, says:

Euskaldunisation: The Basque language is the national language of Basque citizens and therefore one of the main components of their identity. Euskera is an essential aspect of our country’s culture, a contribution to universal culture and an instrument of social cohesion and social inclusion. For this reason, we consider it essential to develop and consolidate a common strategy for the normalization of the Basque Country, in order to achieve an Euskal Herria Euskaldun composed of multilingual people and respectful of the cultural diversity of the Basque society of the twenty-first century. In this sense, we consider it essential to obtain the official status of the Basque Country in the seven territories. In this case, Castilian would be co-official in the four territories of Hego Euskal Herria, and French in the three territories of Ipar Euskal Herria.

It does not provide greater precision. In defining oneself, he refers, among other objectives, to an independent Basque Country: “EH Bildu is defined as the power of the Basque left for sovereignty, which seeks an independent Basque Country based on social justice.”

As you know, EH Bildu is currently composed of three parties – Aralar was dissolved in December 2017-: Sortu, Eusko Alkartasuna and Alternatiba. In the statutes registered in 2011 by Sortu, which has the largest number of militants, reformed on many occasions, independence is mentioned in the first ideological pillar, and in the second, Euskaldunization. I did not find it in Basque, as I registered it in the party register in Spain, I changed it to:

Full Euskaldunization. Because Euskera is not only the native language of Euskal Herria, it is also the heritage of humanity. We and ourselves, to the Basque citizenship, to which we guarantee the full development of our language, the national language. Because Euskal Herria is the territory of the Euskara, to build an Euskaldun country conformed by a multicultural and multilingual citizenship.

In this last sentence, we hear the resonant phrase that we have read in the statutes of EHBildu “to obtain an Euskal Herria Euskaldun that is made up of multilingual people and respects the cultural diversity of the Basque society of the twenty-first century”, and I believe that there are two contents below which, on the one hand, the recognition of the linguistic and cultural diversity that supposes the last appearance of immigrants. It is true that Basque culture is short without cultivating or cultivating Basque culture.

The bases are highlighted on the party’s website, and one of them is as follows: “Euskalduna: The Basque language is the language of the Basque Country and we work for the recovery of the Basque country. Sortu works in Basque” (Azpimarra gurea). Needless to say, it is the best plan of use.

The latter is militant, Eusko Alkartasuna. In its second Article, the 2009 Statutes set out the following:

The official language of EA is Basque. In any case, the use of Euskera will be enhanced and guaranteed, without prejudice to the use of other languages, taking into account the real socio-linguistic situation.

The General Assembly will adopt a plan to standardize the language. This plan will promote the use of Euskera in the Party ' s organs and will regulate the level of knowledge required to gain access to public positions or positions of the Party. This will take into account the age and socio-linguistic reality of each area. (The emphasis is ours).

In addition, the eighteenth article stands out: “Participants, in addition to those listed in Article 14, shall have the following obligations: (a) Learning and Using the Basque Country.”

Concerning the main political objective: “The territorial unity and independence of Euskal Herria (building a state of its own within the European Union)”.

Alternatiba, the third formation of the EH Bildu coalition, was formed in 2008 with the support of the Rajoy Government. In its statutes it refers only to the Basque Country in three articles: In the election of the Moderating Bureau and the Technical Secretariat of the National Assembly, in a context of equality of women and language parity.

In short, the need to obtain an Euskal Herria Euskaldun with EH Bildu is clear and clear, but there is no concreteness for the election of internal positions and parliamentary and municipal offices, or for the linguistic criteria of the assemblies. From the sources that I give them credibility I know that the national assembly does them in Euskera and that in Gipuzkoa it uses the Basque. In Bizkaia and in Álava, I do not know. Sortu says that it works in Euskera, and Eusko Alkartasuna, on the one hand, emphasizes the need for members to learn and use Euskera, and on the other, refers us to the Plan of Use, as we have already said, which gives us doubts, but, as has already been said, we need to know what its evolution is. Alternatiba barely mentions anything about Euskera.

Coming to those who consider Spain as their nation, the PSE and pp do not have in their statutes anything in Basque. What about the Elkarrekin Podemos party in the Basque Country? It has approved the first normalization plan of the Basque country for the period 2019-2021. It says at the beginning:

This document has been elaborated with a double objective: on the one hand, to know the presence and problems of the Basque Country at all levels of Podemos Euskadi and in the municipalities where there are circles, and on the other, to normalize the use and presence of the Basque Country in all areas of the party in general.

However, it is not a good sign that there have been two competitors to choose the lehendakari candidate and that one of them has not known Euskera, in the end, for having won the Basque.

In short, and confined to the Basque parties, the most effective thing is, of course, that of the Sortu, if it does, that it works in Basque outside the plans of use.

The other aspects, in theory, are quite close to each other in terms of the recognition of the status of national language they attribute to the Basque Country, and in practice? There are certainly significant differences in daily practice. What do the Euskera Standardization Usage Plans consist of in the PNV and EA? ; EH Bildu, there are no details, although I have received credible sounds with a rather Euskaldun practice.

Now that the seats of the Basque Parliament are to be renewed in the CAV, when preparing the candidatures, as far as the linguistic profile is concerned, I call on you to be consistent; and to choose the Basque people, and to bring that consistency of the statutes into the oral and written practice: be an example inside the house in the use of the national language and brave in the definition and promotion of the linguistic policies for the whole of Basque society.