The CLASS blazar survey. II.

Because an optical spectrum is now available for 70 per cent of the 325 sources present in the sample, a spectral classification, based on the appearance of the emission/absorption lines, is possible. A wide variety of optical spectral types is found.

Besides `classical' BL Lacs (42), BL Lac candidates (5) and high-power (P_5GHz_>10^26^W/Hz) flat spectrum radio quasars (67), a significant number of `passive' elliptical galaxies (41) is also found. Moreover, 33 broad emission line objects with a low radio power (P(5GHz)>10^26^W/Hz) are discovered, suggesting that at least a fraction (~24-30 per cent) of low-power blazars have a broad line region. Finally, 34 objects showing only narrow emission lines, either as a result of some starburst activity in the host galaxy or as a result of the presence of an active galactic nucleus, appear in the sample.