The News.Elections in the Basque Country and Galicia

Spaniards are voting in regional polls in the Basque Country and Galicia - the first political test since Spain slid into recession in 2008.

The Socialists have been focusing their campaign on the economy there rather than issues of national identity. Hours before polls opened, the Basque police arrested a suspected member of the militant group Eta, who was believed to have been planning an imminent attack. The 24-year-old had been under surveillance. Officers later found what has been described as "bomb-making equipment" in an apartment in the town of Hernani. Eta has called the Basque election "anti-democratic", following a decision by Spain's Supreme Court to ban two separatist parties from fielding candidates.
In Galicia, the Socialists are hoping to hold on to power in a coalition with the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).