The Basque Nationalist Party, the winner of last month´s regional elections in the Basque Country, will form a single-party government after failing to reach an agreement with other political parties to set up a coalition government, a senior PNV official said.

Joseba Egibar, the leader of the PNV in the  Basque province of Gipuzkoa, made the announcement during an interview with Euskadi Irratia.

Earlier, the likely new president of the Basque region, Inigo Urkullu, was quoted as saying in several newspapers that "perhaps the time is not ripe for deals,” adding that ”things might be different” a few months from now.

The Basque Nationalist Party, or PNV by its Spanish initials, took 27 seats on the Oct. 21 vote,  but short of an absolute majority. The PNV, which came ahead of left-wing coalition EH Bildu with 21 seats, had been engaged in talks with other parties in search of post-election agreements.

The PNV is due to hold a news conference later on Monday.

Voters in the Basque Country handed a major victory to nationalist and pro-independence parties.

ETA prisoners

Urkullu also said he hoped that the Basque Country´s  new government would reach an agreement with Spain´s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy´s conservative Popular Party to change the law for ETA prisoners.

Thousands of people marched on Saturday in Baiona in favour of relocating Basque prisoners to Basque prisons.