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3 April 2007
MADRID – The attorney general on Tuesday requested the new Basque party Abertzale Sozialisten Batasuna (ASB) should be banned from standing in the forthcoming local elections next month.
Sources at the ministry of justice said ASB was “fraudulent” and bore clear relations with Batasuna, the banned political wing of the Basque separatist organisation ETA.
The request was made to the supreme court in Madrid.
The ministry of interior had earlier said the ASB party bore “sufficient” relation with Batasuna.
The move is important because Basque militants claim in order for the peace process to advance, it is essential for them to have a voice among at elections.
Attorney general Cándido Conde-Pumpido will explain later the reasons for his request.
José Blanco, the general secretary of the ruling socialist party, said the radical Basque nationalists “will not be present at the elections because they have not condemned the violence and do not comply with the party laws”.
[Copyright EFE with Expatica]
Subject: Spanish news