After the success there were also poor electoral results in the independence of the left. For a number of reasons, many of the closest people began to distance themselves from him. The leap from the political-military strategy to the political strategy was enormous, and I was unable to create a new political culture for it. That's what he now wants to do with the refoundation. In the process that began in July, a Congress will be held on 22 January and a Political Conference in September 2017.

The Zohardia presentation has been prepared by 34 people, led by Arnaldo Otegi, who have laid the ideological foundations, the political line and the organizational model. ‘Zohardia’ was the nickname that Josu Muguruza, killed by the GAL, used in Egin. “After 60 years of fruitful struggle,” Sortu says that the situation of this people is worthy of awakening red lights, “in the face of the neoliberal offensive and without sovereign tools,” Euskal Herria has taken steps back in different areas. The pulse of this people is slow, but at the same time it intuits the conditions for reaching the Basque Republic.

The following lines are based on the texts of the papers, but they are not a summary of them, but a small contrast between the old and the new melodies, designed to give the reader clues about Sortu's melody. It opens up the possibility to present more papers, but they have to be presented in three areas: ideological, political and organizational; and to present the management team. No one is expected to present a full report.

Ongoing. Sortu, LAB and ERNAI carried out a process of reflection that culminated last March and culminated with the promise of refounding the Abertzale Left. Yours is being created and Ernai – which has already announced by April 2017 – and LAB will also have to do its own thing.

Nature of generations. Revolutionary, supporter of harmonious democracy, confederalist, socialist, with Marxism of social analysis, abertzale and internationalist, feminist, national, Basque.

Basque Republic. Its construction is part of the current institutional reality and has three territorial areas: CAPV, Navarra and Iparralde. Work will be done to strengthen ties on a day-to-day basis, but each will keep its pace until it joins the Basque Republic.

Confederal model. The subject of the Confederation has always been dancing in the political texts of the Abertzale Left. Aralar was already taken with it when it was founded, in 2013 it also appeared on the Camino Vasco de EH Bildu and has now also been absorbed by sortu. In two directions: on the one hand, it refers to the political-institutional relationship between territories and, on the other, it refers to “the political practice that aims at the redistribution of political power by interpreting space as strategic”.

Citizen Unit. “The new Citizen Unit has not been created.” In the opinion of sortu, this function corresponds to EH Bildu and EH Bai. They are the protagonists of the media and mobilisations. On the road to independence, it also sees the need for a wider Front, including not only political forces, but also social and trade union forces. Moreover, it is emphasized that the processes of transformation will require the collaboration of even broader forces, and therein situates the governing agreement of the four forces for change in Navarre”. In the opinion of Sortu, the dynamics of HD Bildu and Sortu have not been adequately characterised in recent years and must be clearly distinguished from this.

No avant-garde. The character of ETA, KAS and Ekin has been very fond of the vanguard. The whole world on the Abertzale left opened its way in the objectives and political lines that they marked. Now, Sortu’s mission is to help the construction of EH Bildu, EH Bai and the Broad Front, “but to do it out of all leading, avant-garde and/or uniformizing temptation.” Reference is made several times to this idea. With regard to sovereignty, for example: “It is not for the Sortu to present a closed roadmap (…) The progress of the process cannot depend on the possibilities of agreement between the elites. On the contrary, leadership belongs to organised civil society.” Even when it refers to the figure of the militant: “Timonel’s times are things of the past.”

Old and new. He praises the “struggle of the last 60 years” of the Abertzale left – “the historic contribution of this cycle has been the creation of conditions for survival” – but “it would be a historical mistake to think that progress could be made through tools, bases and formulas exhausted in this new phase of sovereignty”. Citations in the same way are numerous, for example: “In addition to not being exciting, we have to break with the inertia of mobilizations that do not break with the system”, “we have the urgency of moving from the culture of no to the culture of creativity”, “the need to overcome the identity of resistance and to make the leap to the project identity” or “the need to break up avant-garde behaviors and train ourselves in a political practice based on democratic leadership”.

The party movement. “No party or movement is created. However, both are at the same time: an unconventional movement, in the form of party and movement characteristics”. The Sortu militant has to participate in social movements, associations and multisectoral institutions, not to direct them, but because this participation is essential to achieve Sortu's objectives.

European Union. “The current European Union is an anti-democratic and anti-social project,” but “both the incorporation of the Basque State and the exclusion of the EU” should be decided by the Basques in the referendum.

Social and community construction. “We understand by herrigintza soziala the initiative of popular movements working in the construction of the new society (…) In recent years we have known many curious examples of this expression of herrigintza: Gora Gasteiz, movement against fracking, popular walls, Gipuzkoa Zutik, many initiatives of the feminist movement, in favor of refugees, etc.” The community construction of population centers is “the realization of projects in which towns and neighborhoods are constituent subjects. (…) It is noteworthy the municipal work developed in recent years by EH Bildu”.

Procedures. Primary elections will be held and participation will be processed electronically. In these phases of Congress and the Political Conference, it will be enough to register on the sortu page to be able to participate in the process and in the choice of the new direction.

Currents of opinion. “Sortu accepts the currents of opinion, but always making it clear that the fact that this is the case does not automatically give a right to a current of opinion to have a share of representation in the governing bodies.”

Militancy. “If we don’t get the organization to work differently, it’s hard for us to get other kinds of militants and people. The organization (that is, the militants, who are us, who before and after all form it) cannot be a machine for destroying people.”

Time limits. From 5 to 26 November, choice of papers and direction; from 27 November to 10 December, deadline for the submission of proposals through open lists on responsibilities other than national and territorial management and for the submission of amendments. From 9 to 22 January, the debate on the amendments to the papers and the choice of open lists will end with the congress on 22 January. The stage of the Political Conference is being held from January to September.

Along with this report, we will also talk in this interview with Miren Zabaleta, member of Sortu's management, on the subject of re-founding.