But in the media, the words "Basque separatists" often go together.

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In March 2004, luck helped to bring the leader of Spain's Socialists to power: he was trailing in the polls until a cack-handed attempt by the ruling centre-right People's Party to blame the Madrid train bombings three days before the election on Basque separatists.

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But even if all the Basque nationalists and separatists, on their own, could agree on a non-violent push in that direction, they will not do so soon.

ECONOMIST: The voters say no to both

Mr Otegui's appointment is part of a strategy to make the moderates more prominent, and the separatists therefore more presentable, before the Basque regional election on October 25th.

ECONOMIST: Unmasking the Basque separatists

Most of these were attributed to separatists groups in France and Spain, such as ETA, which is the Basque national separatist organization.

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