Basques plan early regional poll

Mr Ibarretxe says all political groups should take part in the April poll

The leader of the Basque regional government has called for regional elections one month early.

Juan Jose Ibarretxe has decided the Basque country will go to the polls on 17 April.

The Basque leader's announcement comes a day after his independence plan was strongly rejected by Spain's national parliament.

But Mr Ibarretxe says the regional elections cannot be seen as a referendum on the autonomy project.

His party, the PNV, has said that the independence plan will be the centre piece of their election campaign.

The BBC's Danny Woods, in Madrid, says that in a clear reference to the outlawed political party, Batasuna, the Basque leader says that no political group should be prevented from participating.

In response to the early election date, Jose Blanco, spokesperson for Spanish Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero's administration said the Basque region needed a change of government.