Aznar could pay price for backing war

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's tough stance on terror both at home and abroad has met with very different reactions from voters.

Mr Aznar's refusal to give any quarter to Basque separatist terror group Eta won widespread support for his Popular Party.

However, his support for the US-led invasion of Iraq went against overwhelming public opposition to the conflict.

If the Madrid rail bombings were shown to be an act of revenge for that stance experts say he could pay a heavy price in tomorrow's general election.

After Prime Minister Tony Blair, Mr Aznar was US President George Bush's staunchest ally over Iraq.

He backed Mr Bush despite one poll showing 91% of Spaniards were against the war.

Madrid, Barcelona and other major cities saw huge anti-war demonstrations with violence between police and protesters.

In the face of such furious opposition, Mr Aznar stopped short of sending troops to take part in the invasion.

Even the later deployment of 1,300 peacekeepers provoked fresh fury.

Despite these problems, his hard-line stance on Eta coupled with a strong economic record had been expected to deliver him an easy poll win tomorrow.

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