The State Prosecutor has failed to find sufficient evidence of links to either the ETA terrorist organisation or their political wing, the banned Batasuna party, and will not prevent the Basque communist PCTV party from taking part in this Sunday´s regional elections.

In a statement released today, the State Prosecution department said that information provided by state security forces was not sufficiently convincing for them to stop the communist party from standing despite them receiving public backing from Batasuna leader, Arnaldo Otegi, last Friday when he announced the end of his party´s doomed pre-election campaign.

The PP, who want the PCTV banned, said that they would hold president Zapatero personally responsible if ETA sympathisers once again gain representation in the Basque parliament. It has come to light during the investigations that some PCTV candidates have family ties to convicted ETA terrorists.

Batasuna drop out and urge communist vote
Friday, April 8, 2005

The spokesman for the illegal pro-ETA Batasuna party, Arnaldo Otegi (photo), announced this morning that his party would be dropping out of the Basque regional election campaign, and urged their potential voters to support the Basque country Communist party (PCTV) instead. Mr Otegi claims that around 5,000 people have participated in the 180 meetings organised by his party since the start of the campaign.

After a Constitutional Tribunal ruled that the Basque separatist Aukera Guztiak party would not be allowed to participate in the ballot, their spokesman announced last Friday that the PCTV had agreed to assume their electoral commitments. After no link between the PCTV and Batasuna was found, the Electoral Council ruled that there were no grounds from preventing the communist party from continuing their campaign.

PCTV candidate, Nekan Erauskin, told press today that her party had not had time to discuss Batasuna´s decision and would not be making any statement about it until tomorrow morning.

Riot police break up banned Batasuna election rally
Thursday, April 7, 2005

Regional Basque police officers wearing riot gear broke up a rally organised by the illegal pro-ETA Batasuna party, which has been prevented from taking part in the forthcoming regional Basque elections on the 17th April, last night after a ban had been imposed earlier in the day by the Electoral Council.

Batasuna party spokesman Joseba Permach was obliged to leave the stage as he was about to begin his address (photo). Around a hundred Batasuna supporters gathered for the rally shortly before 7.30pm in Rentería´s Fueros square, where a number of pro-Batasuna banners had been draped, but they were immediately surrounded by a large police contingent.

A police officer reminded Mr Permach that the meeting was illegal while a second officer videotaped the conversation. There was a moment of tension as one of the protesters tried to stop the exchange from being filmed while others shouted pro-separatist slogans such as "Batasuna forward," "Struggle is the only way," and "Ibarretxe, where are you?" Despite the warning, Mr Permach took the stage and was forcibly removed by two officers. Before dispersing, the crowd sang the Basque separatist hymn "Eusko Gudariak," and no further incidents were reported.