Conservatives make run for Basque presidency

Prime Minister José María Aznar said the governing Popular Party is in a better position to win the Basque regional presidency than ever after former Interior Minister Jaime Mayor Oreja announced his candidacy last week.

“We want to govern in Basque Country and make decisions,” Aznar was quoted as saying in the Spanish daily El País. “For that reason, a person has quit his post in the Government to play his cards as a candidate.”

The hard-line Oreja, who orchestrated a police crackdown on the Basque separatist group ETA during five years as Spain’s Interior Minister, quit his government post last week to lead the center-right offensive in the May 13 elections.

Basque president Juan José Ibarretxe, a member of the Basque Nationalist Party, announced early elections two weeks ago.

Interior Ministry officials have been quoted in the Spanish media this week as saying ETA has been substantially weakened during Oreja’s tenure, which began in May 1996. But 26 killings have been blamed on the separatist group since a 14-month ceasefire was called off in December 1999.

A spate of ETA arrests in the past two weeks, including the detention of the group’s reputed military leader in France, seemed to be timed to coincide with Oreja’s candidacy.

Oreja has twice before run for lehendakari –“president” in the Basque language –losing in 1990 and 1994.

PP officials have high hopes of winning this time because a recent national poll showed Oreja had the highest popularity rating of any Spanish politician –surpassing even the prime minister himself.

But a recent poll shows that the Basque Nationalist Party and Eusko Alkartasuna coalition would handily defeat PP and the Socialist Party in the May elections.

Frank Griffiths may be reached at fgriffiths@suite101.com

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