Spanish legislative election, 2004

Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Congress of Deputies, and 208 seats in upper house, the Senate. The governing People's Party (PP) was led into the campaign by Mariano Rajoy, successor to outgoing Prime Minister José María Aznar. In a result which defied most predictions, the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, won a plurality of seats in Congress of Deputies, and was able to form a government with the support of minor parties. The socialists received more votes than expected probably as a result of the government's handling of the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings. In the early moments following the attacks, the national government maintained the theory of the ETA responsibility, when evidence pointed to the possibility that an Islamic extremist group was behind the massacre the ETA theory lost weight. If the latter were the case, the attack could have been perceived by the electorate to be a consequence of the Spanish government's support of the invasion of Iraq.

Related Topics:
Spain - March 14 - 2004 - Cortes Generales - Congress of Deputies - Senate - People's Party - Mariano Rajoy - Prime Minister - José María Aznar - Spanish Socialist Workers' Party - José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero - 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The day after the election, Zapatero announced his intention to form a minority PSOE government, without a coalition, saying in a radio interview: "the implicit mandate of the people is for us to form a minority government negotiating accords on each issue with other parliamentary groups". Two minor left-wing parties, Republican Left of Catalonia and United Left, immediately announced their intention to support Zapatero's government.

Related Topics:
Republican Left of Catalonia - United Left

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~