SPAIN: The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and its allies in Basque Solidarity (EA) will again form the biggest group in the region's autonomous parliament, with 98 per cent of votes counted last night.
But PNV-EA took only 29 of 75 seats, four less than in the 2001 elections. This falls far short of their target of an absolute majority, even adding the three seats of their former partners the United Left (EB-IU). This means it will have to rethink plans to call a referendum on Basque sovereignty.
The most striking development was the resurgence of the radical nationalist left, formerly represented by the banned Batasuna party. Their supporters voted for the Communist Party of the Basque Lands (EHAK), which took nine seats.
The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), currently in government in Madrid, took 18 seats, up from 13. It reversed positions with the conservative Partido Popular (PP), which won 15 seats.