29
the Basque nationalist side, but to different questions.
48
Questions about general
principles such as the right to self-determination for the Basques received support from
over 80% of respondents. Questions on specific policy issues (for example, closer
relationship with Navarre and the French Basque Country and more power for the Basque
government over selected policy areas) also found strong support (over 60%). The most
controversial question was the recognition of a double Basque and Spanish nationality,
with only 52% of respondents supporting this idea.
The idea of holding a referendum on the Ibarretxe raises many questions. First of
all, there would be some technical yet crucial questions such as enfranchisement. Would
a worker from elsewhere in Spain who has been living in the Basque Country for a
certain amount of time be allowed to vote?
49
Then, one can wonder about the context in
which such a vote would be held.
Even assuming the absence of violence and the
majority support of the Basque parliament, a referendum in the Basque Country (at least
if it were held in the short term) would surely be a very tense affair. ETA would probably
not have disbanded. The Spanish government, along with all the other actors opposing
the plan Ibarretxe, would probably not recognize the legality or even legitimacy of the
referendum. What type of legitimacy would the final result have, especially if there is a
high level of abstention? The biggest problem, however, would be the (un)willingness of
losers to accept a loss and, perhaps more to the point, coming to an agreement about the
exact percentage at which the proposal is considered sufficiently endorsed. Lehendakari
47
This data is drawn from “Encuesta del grupo vocento. La mitad de los vascos apoyar a el plan
Ibarretxe
en
un
referéndum,”
El
Mundo,
November
30
2003.
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2003/12/03/espana/1070436545.html
48
See Gobierno vasco (Presidencia), “La opini n de la sociedad vasca sobre el nuevo pacto
pol tico para la convivencia,” October 2002. http://www.euskadi.net/estudios_sociologicos.
Convention