Overview
- The PNV leadership selected Mikel Hidalgo as its proposed successor to long-serving mayor Juan Mari Aburto, a decision reported on Monday, June 8, that the party will now submit to internal bodies for approval.
- Hidalgo is 33 and is presented as a radical generational renewal; he serves as a burukide on the Bizkai Buru Batzar and has four years’ experience as an advisor in the Lehendakaritza.
- The party will take Hidalgo’s name to the Interjuntas for a formal proposal and then seek ratification by each local affiliate (batzoki a batzoki), with leaders saying the process should conclude before the summer.
- Deputy general Elixabete Etxanobe publicly endorsed Hidalgo and urged members to ratify the choice, while published polls cited by coverage indicate the PNV is well placed to retain the mayoralty if the nomination is confirmed.
- The selection underscores the PNV’s effort to renew its image while holding Bilbao—the party’s historical stronghold—and the key things to watch next are local affiliate votes, the Interjuntas decision, and how rival parties respond.