Elections in the North: the battle of Bayonne, the challenges of the patriots and the division of the left

From Hendaia to Maule, and from Bayonne to Garazi, from this Sunday the municipal elections in the French Basque Country require the clarification of a large number of incognitas. The Voices of the Houses of the People, as usual, will be decided by a two-round system, the first on 15 March, and the second on 22 March .

On the coast of Lapurdi, both Baiona and Biarritz are expected to compete closely. Without going very far, from South Lapurdi to the interior, EH Bai wants to confirm the excellent results achieved in the previous elections in 2020. It remains to be seen to what extent the PNV can succeed in dominating its options in the nine municipalities it has in mind.

As for the rivalry between the right and the left, the left will be divided once again and the right can be strengthened. Looking at the threat of the extreme right, it is often weaker in the municipal elections, but it showed great strength in both the European and the presidential elections, and also in the North, and it will be another focus to follow.

160 lawsuits.

The College of the Basque Country, which comprises the municipalities of the French Basque Country, comprises 158 municipalities. However, there are two other municipalities in the French Basque Country, Eskiula and Jeztaze, both in Zuberoa and both entirely Basque in language.

In spite of the two-round elections, in most municipalities, 90 per cent, in the first round, it will be decided who will be the councillors of the courts and who will be the councillors of the local houses, since in most municipalities there will be only one (116 municipalities) or two (30 municipalities), and it will suffice to reach the minimum limits.

On the other hand, the new legislation will be in force on the dates of the next two Sundays. Until now, equal lists have had to be presented in towns with more than 1,000 inhabitants.

The measure has had a major impact on the Northern Basque Country: 115 municipalities have fewer than 1,000 inhabitants, or more than 70 per cent of the municipalities in the North.

Bayonne, Angelu, and Biarritz.

Bayona, Anglet and Biarritz form the most populous area of the French Basque Country, with about 122,000 inhabitants in these three municipalities and a total of 310,000 in the French Basque Country. In other words, 40% of the inhabitants of Lapurdi, Baja Navarra and Zuberoa live in these three municipalities.

The centrist Etchegaray will face four other lists, including the socialist Etcheto or the leftist nationalist Iriart. The extreme right will also be presented in Bayonne. Since 2014 Etchegaray has been mayor and wants to extend his authority for another six years.

In Biarritz (26,000 inhabitants), the hitherto mayor, Maider Arosteguy, will face five other candidates, including the historic rugby player Serge Blanco, a candidate for the Les Républicains party, whose list will be supported, among others, by the PNV, after several jeltzales.

Finally, in Angelu (42,000 inhabitants), the former Republican mayor, Claude Olivé, is the great favorite. In front of him will be the left-wing list led by the ecologist Mahaut Fanchini, Anglet Ensemble, and Hemen Angelu, led by Eñaut Alfaro, who has the support of EH Bai and is "left-wing, Basque, environmentalist and feminist."

The Ends of the Patriots

EH Bai is the main reference of left-wing independentists in the French Basque Country. They achieved the best results in their history in the 2020 municipal elections, thanks to which they obtained mayors such as Ziburu, Urruña, Uztaritze or Itsasu, among others. In addition, they have been in the municipal governments of other municipalities, having supported the lists that prevailed there.

A year later, EH Bai became the second force in the Department's election, following the Force 64 platform that united the right. In July 2024, EH Bai finally sent a left-wing independentist for the first time to the Paris National Assembly, within the New Popular Front.

EH Bai has lived through sweet times over the last few years, and it remains to be seen whether she will be able to maintain that streak on Sunday.

Among the municipalities that will present their own candidates is Kanbo , where the president of the North Buru Batzar, Peio Etxeleku, will be the mayor.

In Donibane Garazi the situation is more confusing. The mayor of the last few years, Laurent Inchauspé, joined the PNV in 2024. The PNV celebrated the fact that another capital of the Basque Country had a mayor jeltzale. Sources of the party have explained that, however, Inchauspé has not renewed his bid to be a member of the party and that the PNV will not have its own candidate for mayor in the capital.

On the other hand, jeltzales have included party members on Maider Arostegui's list in Biarritz, or in the candidacy of Jean-François Irigoyen in San Juan de Luz, so the PNV will support these Republicans who have been mayors in recent years. Jeltzales will act in a similar way in Hendaiaand support the socialist mayor since 2014.

In Bayonne, the jeltzales have not supported Etchegaray's list, and we'll have to wait to see who they support in the second round.

Housing and tourism

Housing policies and tourism management will be crucial issues in these municipal elections. Like across the Bidasoa, housing prices in the North are rising.

In Lapurdi, especially on the coast, but not only, there is enormous pressure: there has been an increase in second homes, an increase in tourist rents, an increase in the impact of people retiring on the coast... With this, more and more people are seeing tourism close to overflow.

Local issues have also played an important role in the election campaign (in Biarritz, the Aguilera area project; in Baiona, mobility problems...), in some places the debate on security has gained strength and the present and the future of the Basque Country has been discussed. With these elements and taking into account party alliances and correlations, it remains to be seen how the  elections look.

Key to the formation of the College

The municipal elections are key to the representation of the Basque Urban College, which was created nine years ago as its own institution that unites the municipalities of Iparralde and whose representation, 232 seats, is elected in these elections.

Most of the small towns, 143 each, have one representative, but the 14 of their more than 5,000 inhabitants have a minimum of two, and a maximum of 22.

Since the founding of the College, the Mayor of Baiona, Etchegaray, has presided over the EHE. Although on a symbolic level and the institution has limited powers, he has somehow been the "president" of the French Basque Country.

At the same time, the debateon the competences of the College is on the table. There are many who believe that it is necessary to go further and leave a new institution. They call for a Territorial Collectivity with more powers and resources. Others say that it has enough and focus on how it works. There are also those who say that it has too many competences.