Basque killing halts Spanish election campaign

Spain's main political parties cancelled closing campaign rallies yesterday, two days before an election, after a former councillor from the governing Socialist Party was shot dead in the Basque Country.

The government blamed ETA separatists for the killing of Isaias Carrasco, who was shot several times in front of his wife and young daughter outside his house in the town of Mondragon.

Whether Mr Carrasco's murder would have any effect on the outcome of tomorrow's election, in which the Socialists are favourites, was not immediately clear. In 2004, Socialist Party leader José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero became Prime Minister as a result of a surprise election victory three days after an attack by Islamist militants who killed 191 people by bombing Madrid trains.

Both the Socialist Party and the opposition Popular Party cancelled rallies scheduled for yesterday, the last day campaigning is allowed.

"Spanish democracy will not accept challenges from people opposed to its basic principles," Mr Zapatero told a news conference in which he blamed ETA for the killing.

"The people who have taken part in this murder will be arrested and tried," said the Prime Minister, who was told of the killing while waving to followers at a campaign rally in the Andalusian city of Malaga. Television images showed him turn stony faced after a senior official spoke in his ear.

Mr Zapatero broke off peace talks with ETA in December 2006 after they killed two people with a car bomb. His Socialist party leads the conservative Popular Party in opinion polls.

He has led a crackdown on ETA, but the Popular Party has accused him of being soft on the Basque separatists in the past.

"This is a day of mourning. We should all stand by the family of Isaias Carrasco and remain united, united against ETA," said Popular Party candidate Mariano Rajoy.