Basque Nationalist Party

Also known as PNV

political party in Spain

Key facts

Abbreviation: EAJ, PNV, PNB, EAJ-PNV
President: Aitor Esteban
Founder: Sabino Arana
Founded: 1895 ; 131 years ago ( 1895 )
Headquarters: Sabin Etxea , Ibáñez de Bilbao, 16 , Bilbao
Youth wing: Euzko Gaztedi
Membership 2021: 21,782
Ideology: Basque nationalism Christian democracy Factions: Conservative liberalism Social democracy
Political position: Centre
National affiliation: CEUS (since 2019) , Geroa Bai , (since 2011)
European affiliation: European Democratic Party
European parliament group: Renew Europe

Article

The Basque Nationalist Party (Basque: Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea [eus̺ko aldeɾdi jelts̻ale.a], EAJ; Spanish: Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV; French: Parti Nationaliste Basque, PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially the Basque National Party in English, is a Basque nationalist and regionalist political party. The party is located in the centre of the political spectrum. It has been described as Christian democratic, with social democratic and conservative-liberal factions.

The EAJ-PNV was founded by Sabino Arana in 1895, which makes it the second oldest existent political party in Spain, after the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). The EAJ-PNV is the largest Basque nationalist party, having led the Basque Government uninterruptedly since 1979, except for a brief period between 2009 and 2012. In Navarre, it is part of the coalition Geroa Bai, which is currently a junior partner of the PSOE in the Navarrese regional government. In Spain at large, the party has been supporting current Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a member of the PSOE, since 2019. Currently a member of the European Democratic Party, EAJ-PNV was previously a member of the European Free Alliance from 1999 to 2004. Earlier it had been affiliated with the European People's Party and the Christian Democrat International (from which it was expelled in 2000).