Arnaldo Otegi has tenderly overcome the first barrier imposed on him, and that when he has just left prison is a great deal. It has nothing to do with communication capacity, it has reaffirmed what it had already shown before, and not in any way. In addition, he has been able to interpret the needs on the left Abertzale, and it is no small thing that it is expressed in words, because that is the first pillar to implement it: the north in independence, clearly, in the Basque State; the demands of the left and social movements on the front line; aware of the new political reality – Can – and opening the illusion, after the batacazo of the last elections, essential structure for those who are reborn.

In the Velódromo, Otegi stressed that in the Abertzale left "there is a lack of illusion in this". This idea also appears in the Abian report: “We have to understand the complexity of a change we have made and manage it properly to restore the collective emotional balance of the Abertzale Left. Reviving common passions, fighting together, updating the pleasure of working together. Creating the epic of the Abertzale Left and the 21st century Basque struggle.” The foundation of the Abertzale left needed a txute and Otegi gave it, in addition to the epic.

Otegi was the center of the appearance, but there were also other speeches. The action of Jon Maia has had a great echo, more than tens of thousands of people on the velodrome have followed the string of poems and bertsolari has touched the bottom of many citizens. The size of virality has been the surprise, but Maiza can expect such a performance.
JONE ETXeBeRRIA Sortu's socio-economic militant was more politically striking: it stirred up the fundamental branches of broad social sectors on the left. In an act of size, the gesture of the Abertzale left to renew the kiss that the Abertzale left needs is to take a person like her to the political front.

Innovation in people, ideas and organization is a prerequisite for any transformation movement, and the Basque left needs it. It is not only the perception of the outsiders, but today it is also internal; what has been fed in the last five years in many social movements now reaches the political structure. Gait is rigorous in the diagnosis: “It’s obvious. We have not been faced with verticality, internal democratic deficiencies, transparency of decisions, etc., and that, in the end, has damaged the political project (…) the lack of strategic capacity that has appeared is not natural, it is not accidental, but a consequence of badly made things. Among others, the organization and activity that has not been updated as a result of the style model. We wanted to manage the new era with old tools and it has not worked…”. And whoever wants to continue will find more self-criticism in the Abian document, which is on the net.

In this sense, Otegi showed an interesting attitude: to listen before doing so. It's not going to be easy, the fact that as a journalist I've spent a lot of time surrounding politicians, in general, shows you how little politicians ask, and it's clear that the one who doesn't ask doesn't want to hear.

As for face renewal, Otegi's incarceration at the HB National Table threw him on screens in 1997. The Abertzale left now has the opportunity to make this step calmer, but without falling asleep, because the same people are not going to give new activities. Make important innovations when the transition is guided by the people of the apparatus. In any group or organization, innovation can only be done by new people and indeed, and if there's the will to do so, veterans can help channel that change. It's a very old law. That means taking the risk and not controlling the political project. It's not easy, but that's the price of innovation.

And in this whole process of change, how does a veteran leader stand?