Spain in key regional vote test

Average incomes in the Basque Country are among Spain's highest

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

In the Basque Country, Spain's ruling Socialists seek to be the first non-nationalist party to form the cabinet.

The Socialists have been focusing their campaign on the economy there rather than issues of national identity.

In Galicia, the Socialists hope to remain part of the governing coalition with the Galician Nationalist Bloc.

More than four million people are eligible to elect regional parliaments in Galicia and the Basque Country. Polls opened at 0800 GMT.

Job concerns

In the Basque Country, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) has been in power since Spain returned to democracy three decades ago.

What kind of unemployment do people prefer, 8%, as we have here, or 14%, as they have in Madrid? Miren AzkarateBasque Nationalist spokeswoman

The party has sought to loosen constitutional ties with the central government in Madrid and assert the rights of Basques to decide their own political future.

However, the Socialist Party of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero is seeking to score a historic victory in the region.

With the country in recession, polls suggest that Basques are more concerned about jobs than legalistic arguments about sovereignty, the BBC's Steve Kingstone in Spain says.

The Socialists have portrayed the leader of the current Basque government, Juan Jose Ibarretxe, as out of touch with real issues.

The PNV rejects the claims, saying that the Basque economy is doing so much better that the rest of Spain.

Unemployment is lower in the region than the national average, and Basque incomes are among the highest in Spain, our correspondent says.

The outlawed parties, D3M and Askatasuna, were barred from fielding candidates earlier this month by Spain's supreme court, after prosecutors accused them of links to Eta militants.

Eta is blamed for more than 800 deaths in a 40-year campaign for an independent Basque homeland.

In Galicia, the Socialists are hoping to hold on to power in a coalition with the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG).

The polls close at 1900 GMT and the first results are expected later on Sunday.