Spanish politics scarred by Catalan vote battle

MADRID, June 19 (Reuters) Catalans may see little difference now they have voted for more autonomy from Spain's central government, but the fierce debate preceding their referendum today has left a deep rift in Spanish politics.

The 74 percent ''yes'' vote will give the wealthy northeastern region a slightly higher proportion of tax revenue but was criticised by the conservative Popular Party (PP) as a first step towards the break-up of Spain.

So fierce did the rhetoric become that both the PP and the ruling Socialist Party accused each other of reopening wounds from the country's 1930s civil war, when Catalonia's capital Barcelona was a battlefield.

The bad blood could have implications for Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who wants to regain PP support for planned peace talks with Basque ETA separatist guerrillas.

''It takes years to build social cohesion but you can destroy it very quickly,'' said Joan Ferran, a socialist member of the Catalan regional parliament, referring to what he said was a damaging campaign by the PP against the measure.

What angered the statute's opponents was a reference to Catalonia, which has its own language and culture, seeing itself as a ''nation''. Many Spaniards fear extending Catalonia's already considerable autonomy could encourage other regions, especially the Basque country, to demand the same.

''Most Spanish people didn't see the statute as being mainly about redistributing tax...they saw it as an attempt by Catalan nationalist politicians to start separating from Spain,'' said Juan Carlos Rodriguez, an analyst at Madrid consultancy Analistas Socio-Politicos.

Zapatero surprised even himself when he won power thanks to a wave of disgust against the then PP government's handling of the 2004 Madrid train bombings.

In spite of his narrow mandate, he has angered traditionalists with moves including legalising gay marriage and ending compulsory religious education in schools.

Zapatero's strategy has been to boost support among young left-wing voters, said Rodriguez, who argued that the government's support for regional autonomy was partly the result of courting local nationalist parties as coalition partners.

So far, it seems to be paying off and the Socialists are ahead of the PP in opinion polls, due largely to an economy that is outpacing its euro zone peers.

In spite of the political sound and fury, most Catalans did not bother to vote in Sunday's ballot, which had to compete with sunny beaches and television coverage of the soccer World Cup.

REUTERS AY PM2240