Polls in recent weeks have shown a progressive growth in EH Bildu, with several studies even placing this left-wing pro-independence party in the lead, albeit by a narrow margin of between one and two percentage points over the PNV. The PNV, a centre-right party, has always been the most voted for in Basque regional elections and, with the exception of a three-year period between 2009 and 2012, has also always led the autonomous government. This hegemony now seems under threat, after more than 40 years of democracy and autonomy in Spain, by the growth of EH Bildu. EH Bildu, which has the condemnation of violence for political purposes enshrined in its statutes, was born in 2012, with the end of ETA's activity, and brings together on a left-wing platform pro-independence parties that have always condemned violence and others considered heirs to the political arms of the terrorist group, counting among its militants and leaders former members of ETA. Also born in the context of the financial crisis, EH Bildu has assumed itself from the outset, and has consolidated itself over the last 12 years, as a party with social concerns, relegating identity issues or the independence of the Basque Country to a secondary level. In recent years, it has made the Spanish governments of socialist Pedro Sánchez viable in the national parliament and has allowed, with the votes of its deputies, the approval of measures to respond to the impacts of the covid-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine. Despite being repeatedly associated with ETA in Madrid by right-wing parties, "Basque reality has nothing to do with Spanish reality in terms of the perceptions that exist about EH Bildu or terrorism" and, in the Basque Country of 2024, "99% of society knows that ETA does not exist and that EH Bildu has nothing to do with ETA", explained to the Lusa agency the professor of Political Science Braulio Gómez, from the University of Deusto, in Bilbao. This is how, added the academic, EH Bildu emerges in these elections, "for the first time in its history, as a party of government" and as the first real and viable alternative in 40 years to the PNV, in a region that prefers to be governed by Basque parties. If the polls are confirmed, the PNV and EH Bildu will together win close to 70% of the votes today and the next regional parliament will be the most nationalist in the history of the Basque Country. However, identity and territorial issues (demands for more autonomy or independence) were absent from the election campaign and, according to all opinion polls, the desire for independence is at an all-time low among Basques. As Braulio Gomez explained, the Basque Country, which today has the lowest unemployment rate in Spain and the highest level of wages, until recently lived with terrorism in the name of "a territorial conflict", and "knows how important peace is" and at this moment nobody wants to activate or recover these themes. In this post-terrorism Basque Country, no party is expected to have an absolute majority, and the key to power lies with the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), which is in the current regional government coalition led by the PNV, but which in the central executive depends on both the PNV and EH Bildu. The socialists have already said that they will only govern with the PNV, as they consider that EH Bildu has not yet made a full "mea culpa" in relation to ETA. The latest polls show a minimal difference between the PNV and EH Bildu, with the socialists as the third most voted force (with less than 15%), followed by the Spanish Popular Party (PP, right-wing), with less than 8%. In the current parliament there are 31 PNV deputies, 21 EH Bildu, 10 socialists, six from Podemos (far left), one from VOX (far right) and one from Ciudadanos (liberal). Read Also: Spain starts on Sunday in the Basque Country marathon of three elections (Portuguese version)