The “ghosts” of Euskadi Ta Askatasuna (ETA) and Francisco Franco hovered over the Spanish election campaign’s second debate on July 14 ahead of the national vote on July 23.
The parliamentary hopefuls of the seven largest parties faced each other at the studios of the country’s national TV station, where they duelled about the influence of the ETA terrorist organisation and Spain’s former caudillo or military leader, Franco.
Vox party speaker Ivan Espinosa accused Oskar Matute’s EH Bildu party of being the political heir of ETA. Matute, the Socialist Party’s (PSOE) Patxi López and Sumar’s Aina Vidal reproached Espinosa for “using the pain” of ETA victims as a political tool.
In return, Espinosa referred to the Left’s constant references to Franco to attack Spanish Conservatives.
The issue of the ETA surfaced early in the debate. Espinosa wanted to address what he called the special significance of the date; it was the 26th anniversary of ETA’s shocking assassination of Miguel Ángel Blanco, a People’s Party (PP) councillor from the Basque Country.
Espinosa reflected that “in those days no one could have imagined that just 26 years later we would be debating with ETA’s political arm”. He pondered whether Matute might have been involved in one of ETA’s more than 300 registered assassinations.
“I do not know if he was involved or not in one of those murders,” Espinosa said.
Matute replied that Vox’s “hate speeches go against the will of the Basque Country to move forward”.
He claimed the Basque separatist forces have favoured non-violence in their “struggle” for greater autonomy. According to EH Bildu, they have always advocated for “peaceful and democratic means” to further their aspirations.
“Hopefully the far-right and the Spanish state learn that lesson,” he added.
Espinosa also took aim at the PSOE for including “Communists” in its governing coalition. He blamed them for reforming the country’s Criminal Code to benefit Catalonian secessionists.
López said Vox was a party “that is far from democracy”. He added: “Twelve years ago, our democracy defeated ETA”.
Vidal said: “It is shameful you bring back ETA when they gave been gone for so many years.” She went on to claim that Vox was the “representative of fascism” in Europe.
Espinosa replied in ironic tone: “ETA is gone, but you take Franco ‘on a walk’ every day.”
Ahead of the upcoming Spanish general election, polls suggest the PP will win. Despite several regional agreements it has, it is not certain if it would be willing to negotiate with Vox. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo has suggested he would consider isolating Vox and work instead with the Socialist Party.
With that uncertainty, Espinosa addressed the PP speaker directly and pitched Vox as “the only sensible alternative” to the current socialist government.
