Foreign Correspondence

[Amaunet]

Two exit polls gave Spain's opposition Socialists the most votes in Sunday's general election, while another put the ruling Popular Party (PP) ahead.


Traumatised Spain votes
Sun 14 March, 2004 19:12

Adrian Croft

MADRID (Reuters) - Traumatised Spaniards have voted in droves in a general election thrown wide open by a purported al Qaeda video tape stepping up claims the group was behind the Madrid bombings that killed 200 people.

Voters, many wearing the black ribbon symbol of national grief since Thursday's attack, turned out in numbers well above the last election in 2000 as angry debate on who was responsible -- al Qaeda or Basque separatists -- put the result in question.

If voters believed al Qaeda had mounted its first attack in Europe and in reprisal for Spain's support for the U.S.-led war in Iraq, it could rock the ruling conservatives in a poll they were widely expected to win up to a week ago, analysts said.

Two exit polls gave Spain's opposition Socialists the most votes in Sunday's general election, while another put the ruling Popular Party (PP) ahead.

Party political rancour rose in Spain over the bombings on four packed commuter trains, and Germany called for an urgent meeting of European Union security chiefs as possible al Qaeda involvement triggered alarm bells across the world.

Some Spaniards were vitriolic in accusing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar of "manipulating" public opinion by spending three days blaming the bombings on the Basque separatist group ETA, despite denials from the guerrillas.

"Liar" and "Get our troops out of Iraq" protesters shouted at Mariano Rajoy, the man who will take over from Aznar if their Popular Party (PP) does succeed in winning a third term.

The opposition Socialists opposed the war and opinion polls showed most Spaniards were against it.

WASTE BIN FIND

Just hours before polling began, officials said the video tape had been found in a waste bin on the outskirts of Madrid and that three Moroccans and two Indians had been arrested.

Surveys had forecast a PP victory as Aznar retires as prime minister hailing a solid economy and greater clout for a country restored to the international mainstream three decades after Franco's dictatorship ended.

Any ETA responsibility for the attack was widely seen as helping the PP due to its tough line against the group.

"Now it's anyone's guess," political analyst Juan Diez said.

Overnight, thousands swarmed round PP headquarters across Spain to denounce government "misinformation". Banging pots and pans, they chanted: "Before we vote, we want the truth."

At 6:15 p.m. turnout in the election reached 62.9 percent compared to 55.5 percent at the same stage in the last election in 2000, officials said.

Voters said they were turning out to display unity for democracy after the worst guerrilla attack in Europe since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing of a U.S. airliner killed 270 people.

"We are not going to allow the terrorists and fanatics...to divide and damage our freedom," Aznar said as he cast his vote.

Interior Minister Angel Acebes told a news conference in the early hours a purported spokesman for Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda had claimed responsibility for the bombings on the video.

Morocco identified its three detained citizens as Jamal Zougam, 30, an office worker, mechanic Mohamed Bekkali, 31, and Mohamed Chaoui, 34, a factory worker.

"MORE BLOOD WILL FLOW"

On the tape, a man speaking in Moroccan-accented Arabic said al Qaeda had retaliated for Spain's support for Washington.

"If you don't stop your injustices, more blood will flow and these attacks are very little compared with what may happen with what you call terrorism," he said, according to a transcript in Spanish from the Interior Ministry. The tape was not released.

The man, who said he was speaking for Abu Dujan al Afgani whom he described as military spokesman of al Qaeda in Europe, referred to Iraq and Afghanistan where Spain has troops.

The caller noted the March 11 blasts occurred exactly two and a half years after the September 11 attacks on the United States.

A purported al Qaeda letter on Thursday also claimed the group was responsible for the 10 simultaneous bombings on the crowded trains.

In Washington, a senior official in U.S. President George W. Bush's administration said: "We've been in contact with the Spanish authorities and offered assistance."

ETA issued a second statement, made public on Sunday, denying any role. The size of the attack would be unprecedented in the group's three-decade armed campaign for independence.

Rajoy's main challenger for the prime minister's job is Socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who opposed Aznar over the Iraq war but has backed him in the fight against ETA.

To win an absolute majority in the lower house of parliament, a party needs to win 176 seats. In 2000, the PP won 183 and the Socialists 125.

If the PP wins most seats but falls just short of an absolute majority, it may be forced to seek alliances with regional parties to govern.

Zapatero has said he will only seek to form a government if the Socialists get the most votes.

From Paris to Warsaw, governments across Europe tightened security at borders, railways and airports.

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