At the beginning of the year, the PNV began the process of renewal of the Central Leadership (CVE). The process is divided into three phases that are about to enter the second one this week. In the first phase, the candidates themselves have not officially presented themselves, and initial votes have been taken in all the assemblies to propose their names. To surprise, although Andoni Ortuzar obtained the most votes, Aitor Esteban caused a surprise within the party. It seemed that it could already be an ideal alternative to Ortuzar, but it was not at all expected to receive such support. Esteban, on social networks, implied that he would enter the race of the internal process: "I am excited and grateful for the trust and support. It's party time. The party. The party. The homeland."

He hasn't made any other statements in weeks, and that's what's causing his expectation. In fact, Andoni Ortuzar had previously said that he would run for the fourth time in the competition to lead the EBB. In any case, this past week he has come to understand that he would be "at the disposal of the party." Even the terrain seemed to be ready for Ortuzar: two weeks ago, the head of the PNV in Bizkaia, Iñigo Ansola, said on the radio that "to change, to change, it does not have to be good". That is, that Ortuzar could continue to be a leader.

On the threshold of the change of cycle

The wave of "change of cycle" has been coming in for more than a year. The PNV began to announce a "new change" in the context of the Basque Parliament elections. The first movement came in late November 2023, when it was revealed by filtration that Iñigo Urkullu would not continue as president and that Imanol Pradales would take the position of presidential candidate. The president of the EBB, Andoni Ortuzar, announced that it would be a "proposal for a generational change". It remained to be seen what would happen; it was known that it was up to the party to renew its territorial leadership in the short term.

In the territorial leaderships in general, there have been changes of face. Those who until then were in the second line, with exceptions, have assumed the responsibilities: Arabakoa is hosted by Jone Berriozabal, from Bizkaia by Iñigo Ansola, from Gipuzkoa by Maria Eugenia Arrizabalaga, from Navarra by Unai Hualde and from the Basque Country by Pantxoa Binboire.

The idea of “change” was being realized. But the EBB was missing, and the fact that Ortuzar was able to continue advancing has not convinced all the nationalists, since he has already been at the head of the EBB for twelve years, having previously been in the Biscay Head Assembly for four years. When Esteban’s election began to be seen as a real possibility, despite the fact that Ortuzar won the first votes that had just passed, it seemed that Esteban was the one who had to make the decision, whether to go ahead or not, because Ortuzar’s was taken for granted. Finally, it was Ortuzar who decided to go back. So let Stephen clear the way.