Bildu: "It's a nonsense to say we are a plot hatched by ETA"

Political leaders of the Basque pro-independence coalition Bildu said on Thursday they "have no doubt" that Bildu will stand in the local and regional vote May 22nd and said it is a "nonsense" to say that the coalition "that rejects ETA''s violence" is a "plot hatched by ETA itself".

In a press statement held in Bilbao, Bildu leaders Pello Urizar (EA), Oskar Matute (Alternatiba) and Aitziber Ibaibarriaga, a candidate running without affiliation, said there was not an only legal reason to ban their lists of candidates. There are "only political reasons deeply antidemocratic" to support the ban of the Basque coalition, they added.

According to Bildu, accusations by the Spanish Ministry justice lawyers and prosecutor''s office are "just a legal, political and democratic absurdity that can only be understood taking into account PSOE''s weakness and PP''s pressure.

Ban request

Spain''s justice ministry lawyers filed in on Wednesday a request to the Supreme Court to ban 254 lists of candidates of the new pro-independence coalition party Bildu. The request also asked to prevent another 16 lists of candidates without affiliation from standing in the May vote.

According to ministry lawyer Joaquín de Fuentes Bardají, the request is based on police reports which conclude that Bildu, a new pro-independence coalition formed in March with two legal parties and pro-independence candidates running without affiliation, is a backdoor way to get Sortu people on the ballot.

Sortu, a new party formed earlier this year that says it rejects ETA violence was denied legal status by the Supreme Court on March 23rd. The ruling said the new party Sortu is a repackaged version of Batasuna, ETA''s already outlawed political wing.

Spain''s Supreme Court has now two days to issue a ruling. If Bildu is barred from running in the May 22nd local and regional elections, the Basque nationalist coalition can appeal to the Constitutional Court, which should issue a ruling before May 5th, when election campaign kicks off.