Briefing
The spokesperson for the Partido Popular in the Juntas Generales of Gipuzkoa, Mikel Lezama, once again voiced his opposition to alliances between his party and Euskadi Irratia on 23 September 2026, on the Basque-language programme of Vox . “I don’t like it at all,” Lezama said, referring to agreements that the Partido Popular has allegedly entered into in various local authorities. He also called for a break with the “mental straitjacket” that treats the PP and Vox as ideologically equivalent.
Lezama accused other parties of hypocrisy: it was unfair to criticise the Partido Popular for agreements with Vox if alliances between the PSOE and forces such as EH Bildu or Elkarrekin Podemos were considered legitimate. He claimed that other groups were “leaving the Partido Popular alone”, forcing it to reach an accommodation with Vox, and questioned the responsibility of other parties when majorities are formed in municipalities and provincial parliaments.
On Gipuzkoa, Lezama referred to the 2023 Foral elections and the fact that EH Bildu won them. He said that the Partido Popular had supported the alternative of PNV and PSE-EE at the time, to prevent a government led by EH Bildu or Elkarrekin Podemos. This is a political interpretation; the specific negotiations and voting figures in the Juntas Generales were negotiated after the elections and are documented.
Lezama’s intervention reflects an internal party position: he wants to signal distance from Vox while also holding other forces responsible for making it possible to form centre-right alternatives without the far right. Precisely attributed criticism and references to specific election results anchor his comments in the local Basque context. The debate over coalitions and confidence-and-supply agreements remains an ongoing and negotiable issue at municipal and provincial level, where strategic constraints and parliamentary majorities determine what can be done in practice.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).