EAJ-PNV: Spain’s oldest Basque nationalist party founded in 1895

The Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea (EAJ‑PNV), also known as the Partido Nacionalista Vasco, was established in 1895 by Sabino de Arana y Goiri with the aim of restoring Basque autonomy and defending the Basque people. It is now the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community and maintains a branch in the French Basque region.

During the Spanish Civil War the party split, with some members supporting the Francoist side while the majority joined the Second Spanish Republic, which later granted the Basque region substantial autonomy. In 1959 disaffected members formed the armed separatist group ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), which became the most active terrorist organization in Western Europe, responsible for numerous bombings and the 1973 assassination of Spanish Prime Minister Luis Carrero Blanco.