 At the 2005 regional election Matute was placed 2nd on the EB–B's list of candidates in the Province of Biscay but, again, the party only managed to win one seat in the province and as a result he failed to get re-elected to the Basque Parliament.However he was re-appointed to the Basque Parliament in July 2005 following the resignation of Javier Madrazo.At the EB–B's 7th Assembly in June 2008, held at the Euskalduna Conference Centre and Concert Hall in Bilbao, Matute challenged incumbent Javier Madrazo for the party's general co-ordinator position but was defeated after only receiving 22% of the votes.