The public institutions of Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa must take into account the conditions that the law provides for the electoral deadlines since Iñigo Urkullu announced the electoral advance in the CAV this Monday. And these are quite strict about what the administration can communicate until 5 April.

On 15 June 1990 the Law on Elections to the Basque Parliament was adopted and, as the journalist Asier Gómez Barrenetxea pointed out on Twitter, Article 68a(1) and (2) of that law expressly prohibits any action financed by the public authorities, including any mention of the achievements made. In addition, the second point of that article states that any opening, presentation or exhibition on public works or projects thereof is not permitted.

Arantxa Tapia, for his part, reported on Twitter of the meeting he held this Thursday with the Spanish Minister of Transport, José Luis Ábalos, on the proposals of the Moncloa on the accesses of the High-Speed Train to Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz.

In addition to this law, Gómez Barrenetxea has declared that he has violated another: On December 23, 2010, the corresponding Advertising and Institutional Communication of the CAPV was approved. Article 11.2 states that public institutions must suspend communication campaigns in matters that directly affect them during the electoral period. The only exception would be that the protection of the public interest or the proper functioning of public services were at stake, but since the TAV is an unfinished infrastructure, Tapia’s messages would not come within.

The 1990 law allows for penalties of up to EUR 2,700 for violating the prohibitions imposed on the CAV Electoral Board.