Friendly divorce in the Basque Country: Galdakao celebrates the independence of one sixth of its neighbors

2022-11-28T15:21:18.006Z

The town of Usansolo approved in a referendum to segregate from this City Council governed by Bildu, but the separation is at the expense of a possible appeal from the State Attorney's Office

The Basque town hall of Galdakao is celebrating a friendly neighborhood divorce in style these days.

The town of Usansolo is about to become an independent municipality.

It would be number 113 in Bizkaia and number 252 in the Basque Country.

The General Boards (provincial Parliament) of the territory approved last Wednesday the separation of Usansolo from the Galdakao City Council, with mayor EH Bildu.

The neighbors celebrated it with the launch of fireworks, a popular chocolate bar, dance sessions, blowing horns... The joy over this "historical event" can only be tarnished if the State Attorney appeals segregation.

She has 20 days to do it.

Only about 4,500 people live in Usans.

More than three decades ago, a popular movement arose in favor of the separation of Galdakao (29,300 inhabitants), although the administrative process did not start until 2011. In March of this year, a popular consultation was held in this nucleus, in which 63 participated. 2% of the residents of Usansolo and who cast an overwhelming majority for independence: 1,877 votes (81%) in favor of separation, compared to 329 who preferred to maintain unity.

A technical study commissioned by the Vizcaya Provincial Council determined that both territories would be administratively and economically viable if they function independently.

Javier Aurrekoetxea is a resident of Usansolo: “When they ask us where we are from, we always say: 'From Usansolo'.

There is a feeling of belonging that comes from many years ago.

We live just over two kilometers from the center of Galdakao and we have been a bit abandoned”.

Almost 40 years ago, the Unión del Pueblo de Usansolo collective emerged and in 1988 the divorce process was activated, but it could not crystallize until approximately a decade ago: “While the PNV has been in charge of the Galdakao City Council, they have not provided facilities.

Everything got unstuck in this legislature.”

After the 2019 elections, EH Bildu, Usansolo Herria, Auzoak and Podemos agreed to join forces to oust the PNV from the mayoralty and decided to address the demands of the residents of Usansolo with the creation of a mixed commission made up of representatives of Galdakao,

The mayor of Galdakao, Iñigo Hernando (EH Bildu), has defended throughout this procedure "compliance with the popular will."

“We have kept our word when we said that the final decision corresponds to the residents of Usansolo”, he declares to this newspaper.

The Abertzale left

and

Podemos have always declared themselves in favor of allowing the segregation of Usansolo.

The PNV and the PP have maintained a more distant position and only the Basque socialists have opposed the division.

In the final vote at the General Meetings, the representatives of the PNV, EH Bildu and Podemos supported the disengagement, the PP abstained and the PSE-EE voted against.

The segregation agreement must be published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV) for it to take legal effect.

At that time, a municipal manager will be created, made up of 11 political representatives (eight from the Usansolo Herria platform, two from the PNV and one from EH Bildu), who will assume the administration of the new municipality of Usansolo.

This team will be in charge of leading the process of establishing the new town hall.

Only justice could prevent this process.

Rajoy's law that leaves the process up in the air

Provincial Regulation 9/2012 on Territorial Demarcations of Bizkaia establishes that for a segregation to take place, both the new municipality and the original must have a population of at least 2,500 inhabitants and that both must be financially sustainable and have sufficient resources to comply with municipal powers.

However, state legislation sets more demanding requirements.

Since 2013, after the approval of the Law for the Rationalization and Sustainability of Local Administration, with the PP in the Government under the presidency of Mariano Rajoy, the conditions for segregation have been restricted, so that the towns now have to accommodate at least 5,000 inhabitants to be able to become independent, in addition to justifying their economic solvency.

In view of the statements made by the leader of the Basque socialists, Eneko Andueza, the future of Usansolo will remain in the hands of the courts: "We have always been a party that highly respects the law, and although the will of the neighbors may Being one, we understand that legality is one of the foundations of democracy, and the Socialist Party is not going to go down other paths, as we have done historically and in other disengagements”.

On the other hand, the sovereignist left has blessed segregation and its maximum reference, Arnaldo Otegi, has taken the opportunity to score a point with this message on social networks: “The historical claim of the residents of Usansolo is fulfilled.

The mayor Iñigo Hernando promised to respect the word of the usasolotarras after his arrival in the government of Galdakao.

Said and done,

The Supreme Court annulled in 2020 an agreement of the Gipuzkoan Provincial Council that in 2015 gave the green light to Itsaso (less than 200 residents) to establish itself as a town and break with Ezkio.

These two rural nuclei were united in 1964 by a decree signed by Franco.

On the other hand, in the Basque Country other divisions have prospered, such as Iurreta de Durango and Alonsotegi de Barakaldo, among others.

According to data compiled by EL PAÍS in December 2021, more than 120 towns have been segregated from another parent municipality in Spain since 1977.

Hernando affirms that Usansolo's independence "responds to a feeling of belonging that comes from a lifetime."

“I am 35 years old and since I was born I have always lived with Usansolo's claim”, he affirms.

And he adds: "This situation is lived with absolute normality, without confrontations."

“Everything we have done in Galdakao has been legally and administratively correct.

We do not know if the State will appeal the decision of the Bizkaia Boards”, affirms the councilor.

In Usans there are only public schools, a medical clinic, a sports center... And it is projected that the Metro Bilbao line will arrive.

In its term is the Galdakao Hospital.

Studies carried out project that its population will exceed 5,000 inhabitants by 2025, the limit established by state legislation to be able to be a town.

The councilor explains that of a balance of four million euros between current income and expenses, 800,000 euros would correspond to the future segregated municipality.

The distribution of the remaining municipal treasury would be done proportionally, in such a way that a sixth of that money would go to the local coffers of Usansolo.

“Now we have the most interesting battle: building a town, with its town hall.

We do not want to do it in any way, but at the service of the people.

If the State challenges it,