Alternatiba (Basque political party)

{{Infobox political party

| name = Alternative

| native_name = Alternatiba

| logo = Logo Alternatiba.png

| colorcode = {{party color|Alternatiba (Basque political party)}}

| secretary_general =

| ideology = Socialism
Environmentalism
Feminism
Anti-capitalism
Left-wing nationalism
Internationalism
Basque independence[http://alternatiba.net/sites/default/files/Estatutos%2030-10-2010.pdf Estatutos de Alternatiba.]

| headquarters = Plaza Venezuela, 1, 1º izda., 48001 - Bilbao, Basque Country

| international =

| website = {{URL|http://alternatiba.net/}}

| country = Spain

| president =

| founder =

| slogan =

| founded = {{Start date|2009|4|29|df=y}}

| dissolved =

| merger =

| split = Ezker Anitza

| predecessor =

| merged =

| successor =

| newspaper =

| student_wing =

| youth_wing =

| affiliation1_title = Trade union affiliation

| affiliation1 = Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak

| membership_year =

| membership =

| position = Left-wing to far-left

| religion =

| national = EH Bildu

| european =

| europarl =

| seats1_title = Basque Parliament

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|2|75|hex={{party color|Alternatiba (Basque political party)}}}}

| seats2_title = Congress of Deputies

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|1|23|hex={{party color|Alternatiba (Basque political party)}}}}

| colors =

| symbol =

| flag =

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}}

Alternatiba ({{langx|en|Alternative}}), sometimes known as Alternatiba Eraikitzen ({{langx|en|Alternative}}) in basque, is a socialist{{cite web|last=Nordsieck|first=Wolfram|date=2016|url=http://parties-and-elections.eu/basquecountry.html|title=Basque Country/Spain|website=Parties and Elections in Europe|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215174533/http://parties-and-elections.eu/basquecountry.html|archivedate=15 February 2018}} political party. It is active in Navarre and Basque country. Although, its bylaws also state that French Basque Country is under its political scope. [http://alternatiba.net/sites/default/files/Estatutos%2030-10-2010.pdf Estatutos de Alternatiba]: «Art. 3º. Euskal Herria ye l'ámbitu d'actuación de Alternatiba. Cualquier iniciativa fuera d'ella enmarcaráse nel campu de la solidaridá internacionalista o nes rellaciones de cooperación ente fuercies soberanes p'actuar nel ámbitu supranacional|url-status=alive.» Founded in 2009, Alternatiba was born as a critical tendency within Ezker Anitza, the Izquierda Unida (IU) affiliate in the Basque Country, opposing a participation in the Basque government along with the PNV and Eusko Alkartasuna. In 2009 this tendency broke away from IU and formed an independent party.

History

In May 2008, the seventh assembly of the United Left-Greens had taken place. A faction led by then parliamentarian Oskar Matute and others who would later become members of Alternatiba Eraikitzen (“Building the Alternative”) ran for the leadership of the party. They received the support of the Basque Nationalist Party and Eusko Alkartasuna. Both groups coincided in their commitment to abandon the United Left-Greens, they thought that it limited its left-wing projection. Both groups coincided in their commitment to abandon the tripartite pact of the Basque Government. [http://www.elcorreodigital.com/vizcaya/20080405/politica/criticos-cuestionen-madrazo-piden-20080405.html Los críticos de EB cuestionen a Madrazo y piden qu'una xestora prepare la so asamblea], El Correo, 23 April 2025. However, a last-minute agreement of the Communist Party of the Basque Country, which until then had also disagreed with the management of the general coordinator. Both the Communist party of Basque Country and the soon to be Alternatiba allowed Javier Madrazo to remain the head of the party [https://elpais.com/diario/2008/05/25/paisvasco/1211744399_850215.html Madrazo realcontrar col EPK], El País, 23 April 2025.

Alternatiba Eraikitzen was constituted in Bilbao on December 13, 2008 with the aim of “recomposing a strong political left with a future perspective”, as declared by its promoters,[https://www.europapress.es/nacional/noticia-alternatiba-eraikitzen-constitúi-hoy-bilbao-oxetivu-recomponer-izquierda-politica-fuerte-20081213153440.html 'Alternatiba Eraikitzen' constitúyese güei en Bilbao coles mires de "recomponer una izquierda política fuerte"], Europa Press, 13 d'avientu de 2008. and was registered in the register of political parties of the Ministry of the Interior on February 2, 2009.[https://web.archive.org/web/20100922204716/http://servicio.mir.es/rexistro-partíos/loadDetallesFormacion.htm?protocolu=3881 Rexistru de partíos políticos del Ministeriu d'Interior: Alternatiba Eraikitzen] They did not abandon the United Left-Greens, however, until the resignation of Madrazo as general coordinator as a result of the formation in the elections to the Basque Parliament in 2009. Thus, on April 29 of that same year, the members of Alternatiba Eraikitzen announced the abandonment of Ezker Batua due to their disagreement with the decisions adopted by the party's leadership,[https://www.elpais.com/articulo/pais/vasco/Alternatiba/Eraikitzen/define/socialista/anticapitalista/elpepiesppvs/20090430elpvas_2/Tes/ Alternatiba Eraikitzen defínese socialista y anticapitalista], El País, 30 d'abril de 2009. adopting the name Alternatiba and declaring their intention to become an autonomous political party, with the participation of militants from Ezker Gogoa (a split from Zutik) and other social movements.[https://www.elpais.com/articulo/pais/vasco/Matute/busca/polu/anticapitalista/plante/cara/nuevu/Gobiernu/elpepuespvas/20090703elpvas_8/Tes Matute busca que la so 'polu anticapitalista' "plante cara" al nuevu Gobiernu], El País, 3 de xunetu de 2009.

At that time its representatives claimed to have 200 militants, which would represent 15% of the militancy of Ezker Batua-Berdeak. On October 31, 2009 the constituent assembly was held, defining Alternatiba as a political organization “clearly of the left”,[https://www.europapress.es/euskadi/noticia-criticos-abandonen-eb-empecipien-andadura-alternatiba-crear-gran-bloque-izquierda-vasca-20090429163628.html Los críticos abandonen EB y empecipien la so andadura como 'Alternatiba Eraikitzen'], Europa Press, 29 d'abril de 2009.“radically democratic, non-violent and anti-capitalist”,[http://www.diariovasco.com/20091101/politica/alternatiba-pulsiara-vascos-deseyen-20091101.html Alternatiba va pulsiar si los vascos deseyen «una nueva izquierda»], Diario Vasco, 1 de payares de 2009. “of social alternative, sovereignist and euskaltzale” (Basque-speaking), “feminist and environmentalist.”.

=Sovereigntist left=

A year later, on October 30, 2010, they held their first National Assembly, in which they opted for the strategic confluence of left-wing sovereigntist parties on the basis of a decalogue of principles,[https://web.archive.org/web/20120127060544/http://alternatiba.net/es/mahaiak/925/los trés apuestes-estrat%C3%A9gicas-de-alternatiba Los trés apuestes estratéxiques de Alternatiba], 30 d'ochobre de 2010 (en PDF). and announced a round of contacts with Eusko Alkartasuna (EA), Aralar and the outlawed nationalist left (with whom they had already signed the Guernica Agreement) to achieve this union for the local and regional elections of 2011. On January 2011, Alternativas for the sovereigntist left (Alternativas de la izquierda soberanista), a party of the Basque sovereignist left, was founded in the Basque Country.[http://www.abc.es/agencias/noticia.asp?noticia=572175 Alternatiba busca en Euskadi la unión de los "soberanistas de izquierdas"], ABC, 30 de octubre de 2010.[http://www.gara.net/paperezkoa/20101031/229408/es/Alternatiba-inicia-carrera-confluencia-estrategica-izquierda Alternatiba inicia la «carrera» por la confluencia estratégica de la izquierda] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101101221951/http://www.gara.net/paperezkoa/20101031/229408/es/Alternatiba-inicia-carrera-confluencia-estrategica-izquierda}}, Gara, 31 de octubre de 2010.