Following Sortu ban, Spain outlaws Bildu

Published on 2 May 2011 at 10:47

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"Bildu outlawed too," headlines Público, in the wake of a decision by the Spanish Supreme Court, which voted by nine votes to seven, to ban the list of 254 candidates presented by the coalition of left-wing Basque independence parties for municipal elections to be held on 22 May. The Supreme Court took the view that the coalition could be "instrumentalised by Batasuna," a party with close links to the terrorist group ETA, which has been banned since 2003. Público reminds its readers that on 23 March, "the Supreme Court already blocked Sortu from registering as a political party, even though the group’s charter rejects the use of violence," an indispensable condition for a political party under Spanish law. The country’s Constitutional Court will have until 5 May to rule on an appeal which is expected to be lodged by the Bildu candidates.

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