OCA
VIP Member
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 11:14 a.m. ET March 15, 2004MADRID, Spain - Spain on Monday began looking toward a new government one that has promised to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq in July after voters ousted the ruling party Sunday, with many saying they were shaken by the Madrid bombings and furious with the Popular Party for backing the Iraq war and making their country a target for al-Qaida.
The ruling Popular Party conceded defeat to Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who will take over from outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war in Iraq that most Spaniards opposed.
Zapatero said he would maintain "cordial" ties with Washington, but described the Iraq war as a political error for the international order, for the search for cooperation, for the defense of the United States. It divided more than it united, there were no reasons for it, time has shown that the arguments for it lacked credibility and the occupation has been managed badly.
He added that "unless there is a change in that the United Nations take control and the occupiers give up political control, the Spanish troops (in Iraq) will come back, and the limit for their presence there is June 30.
Zapatero earlier Monday also attacked U.S. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"There must be consequences. There has been one already the election result. The second will be that the Spanish troops will come back," he added. "Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush must do some reflection and self-criticism. You can't bomb a people, you can't organize a war with lies," he told Spain's Cadena SER radio station.
The Socialists are not expected to take office for around a month until overseas votes are counted, legislators take their seats in parliament and Zapatero receives the approval of King Juan Carlos to form a government.
Angry electorate
Zapatero fell short of a majority in Parliament and will need help to form a government. But it was still a spectacular and bittersweet triumph that capped four tumultuous days beginning with Thursdays terror attacks in Madrid, which killed 201 people and wounded 1,500.
Turnout was high at 76 percent. Many voters said Thursdays bombings was a decisive factor, along with the governments much-criticized handling of the initial investigation.
The Popular Party has made me lose faith in politics, said Juan Rigola, 23, a biologist in Barcelona. It deserves to lose and to see the Spanish people turn against them.
The electorate of 34.5 million included about 1.9 million mostly young voters added to the rolls since the 2000 general election.
BY THE NUMBERS Troops in Iraq
Which countries have provided military support
United States 120,000
Britain 11,000
Albania 70
Australia 1,000
Azerbaijan 150
Bulgaria 470
Czech Rep. 92
Denmark 496
Dominican Rep. 300
El Salvador 360
Estonia 55
Georgia 70
Honduras 370
Hungary 300
Italy 3,000
Japan 250 (750 on the way)
Kazakhstan 25
Latvia 120
Lithuania 105
Macedonia 28
Moldova 25
Mongolia 180
Netherlands 1,100
New Zealand 60
Nicaragua 230
Norway 150
Philippines 95 (175 on the way)
Poland 2,400
Romania 400
Singapore 200
Slovakia 69 (120 on the way)
South Korea 675 (3,000 on the way)
Spain 1,300
Thailand 443 (30 on the way)
Ukraine 2,000
Sources: Reuters news reports/GlobalSecurity.org. Print this
Until the bombing, the conservative Popular Party was projected by most polls to beat the Socialists, although perhaps without retaining their majority in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.
But the disaster, which the government initially blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA, threw the election wide open. The attack was followed by emotional rallies across the country.
In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell, told ABC's "This Week", I dont think the case has been made that this will cause Spain to step back from the war on terrorism."
President Bushs national security adviser agreed.
The events in Spain are just more evidence of the lengths to which these killers will go to try and intimidate free people, Condoleezza Rice said on NBCs Meet the Press.
Critics blast handling of probe
In Spain, critics accused the Popular Party government, which had trumpeted its crackdown on ETA, of manipulating the investigation for political gain. That struck a chord with voters.
I didnt intend to vote, but changed my mind, said Javi Martin, 30, who works for a TV station in Madrid. And not because of the attacks, but because of the responsibility of the Popular Party. They gave out information drop by drop. It would have benefited them if it were ETA.
Some voters were angry at outgoing Prime Minister Aznar, accusing him of making Spain a target for Islamic extremists because of his support for the Iraq war, despite the opposition of most Spaniards. Aznar sent 1,300 Spanish troops to Iraq after the conflict and 11 have died.
I wasnt planning to vote, but I am here today because the Popular Party is responsible for murders here and in Iraq, said Ernesto Sanchez-Gey, 48, who voted in Barcelona.
Other voters, however, expressed support for the ruling party precisely because it endorsed the Iraq war, and for its crackdown on ETA.
Mari Carmen Pinadero Martinez, 58, a housewife, said she voted to help the government end terrorism as she cast her ballot near the downtown Atocha railway station where trains were bombed.
In El Pozo, site of one of the four blasts, a ruined train car was in clear view of the polling station as were flowers for the victims, signs stating Paz (Peace) and dozens of lit candles.
Some of the voters, teary-eyed, held onto relatives and friends for support.
Five people arrested
The Interior Ministry has announced five arrests in the bombing, including three Moroccans, and the discovery of a videotape in which a man speaking Arabic says Osama bin Ladens al-Qaida network claimed responsibility for the attack.
In Morocco, authorities said one of the five detainees had been under surveillance for months and was suspected of ties to Islamic radicalism.
On Sunday, a Basque-language daily published a statement by ETA in which the group for a second time denied involvement in the attacks.
All Signs Point to al-Qaida, the countrys largest circulation newspaper, El Pais, said in a front-page banner headline Sunday.
The videotape was recovered from a trash basket near a Madrid mosque after an Arabic-speaking man called a Madrid TV station to say it was there, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said.
The political campaign was bitter between Mariano Rajoy, 48, a veteran Cabinet minister under Aznar, and Zapatero, 43, a lawyer, member of parliament and the Socialist partys general-secretary.
Before the attacks, polls gave Rajoys party a 3-5 percentage point lead over the Socialists in the race for the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.
Aznar did not seek re-election, complying with a pledge to not seek a third four-year term.
MSNBC News Services
Updated: 11:14 a.m. ET March 15, 2004MADRID, Spain - Spain on Monday began looking toward a new government one that has promised to pull Spanish troops out of Iraq in July after voters ousted the ruling party Sunday, with many saying they were shaken by the Madrid bombings and furious with the Popular Party for backing the Iraq war and making their country a target for al-Qaida.
The ruling Popular Party conceded defeat to Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who will take over from outgoing Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, a staunch supporter of the U.S.-led war in Iraq that most Spaniards opposed.
Zapatero said he would maintain "cordial" ties with Washington, but described the Iraq war as a political error for the international order, for the search for cooperation, for the defense of the United States. It divided more than it united, there were no reasons for it, time has shown that the arguments for it lacked credibility and the occupation has been managed badly.
He added that "unless there is a change in that the United Nations take control and the occupiers give up political control, the Spanish troops (in Iraq) will come back, and the limit for their presence there is June 30.
Zapatero earlier Monday also attacked U.S. President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"There must be consequences. There has been one already the election result. The second will be that the Spanish troops will come back," he added. "Mr. Blair and Mr. Bush must do some reflection and self-criticism. You can't bomb a people, you can't organize a war with lies," he told Spain's Cadena SER radio station.
The Socialists are not expected to take office for around a month until overseas votes are counted, legislators take their seats in parliament and Zapatero receives the approval of King Juan Carlos to form a government.
Angry electorate
Zapatero fell short of a majority in Parliament and will need help to form a government. But it was still a spectacular and bittersweet triumph that capped four tumultuous days beginning with Thursdays terror attacks in Madrid, which killed 201 people and wounded 1,500.
Turnout was high at 76 percent. Many voters said Thursdays bombings was a decisive factor, along with the governments much-criticized handling of the initial investigation.
The Popular Party has made me lose faith in politics, said Juan Rigola, 23, a biologist in Barcelona. It deserves to lose and to see the Spanish people turn against them.
The electorate of 34.5 million included about 1.9 million mostly young voters added to the rolls since the 2000 general election.
BY THE NUMBERS Troops in Iraq
Which countries have provided military support
United States 120,000
Britain 11,000
Albania 70
Australia 1,000
Azerbaijan 150
Bulgaria 470
Czech Rep. 92
Denmark 496
Dominican Rep. 300
El Salvador 360
Estonia 55
Georgia 70
Honduras 370
Hungary 300
Italy 3,000
Japan 250 (750 on the way)
Kazakhstan 25
Latvia 120
Lithuania 105
Macedonia 28
Moldova 25
Mongolia 180
Netherlands 1,100
New Zealand 60
Nicaragua 230
Norway 150
Philippines 95 (175 on the way)
Poland 2,400
Romania 400
Singapore 200
Slovakia 69 (120 on the way)
South Korea 675 (3,000 on the way)
Spain 1,300
Thailand 443 (30 on the way)
Ukraine 2,000
Sources: Reuters news reports/GlobalSecurity.org. Print this
Until the bombing, the conservative Popular Party was projected by most polls to beat the Socialists, although perhaps without retaining their majority in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.
But the disaster, which the government initially blamed on the Basque separatist group ETA, threw the election wide open. The attack was followed by emotional rallies across the country.
In Washington, Secretary of State Colin Powell, told ABC's "This Week", I dont think the case has been made that this will cause Spain to step back from the war on terrorism."
President Bushs national security adviser agreed.
The events in Spain are just more evidence of the lengths to which these killers will go to try and intimidate free people, Condoleezza Rice said on NBCs Meet the Press.
Critics blast handling of probe
In Spain, critics accused the Popular Party government, which had trumpeted its crackdown on ETA, of manipulating the investigation for political gain. That struck a chord with voters.
I didnt intend to vote, but changed my mind, said Javi Martin, 30, who works for a TV station in Madrid. And not because of the attacks, but because of the responsibility of the Popular Party. They gave out information drop by drop. It would have benefited them if it were ETA.
Some voters were angry at outgoing Prime Minister Aznar, accusing him of making Spain a target for Islamic extremists because of his support for the Iraq war, despite the opposition of most Spaniards. Aznar sent 1,300 Spanish troops to Iraq after the conflict and 11 have died.
I wasnt planning to vote, but I am here today because the Popular Party is responsible for murders here and in Iraq, said Ernesto Sanchez-Gey, 48, who voted in Barcelona.
Other voters, however, expressed support for the ruling party precisely because it endorsed the Iraq war, and for its crackdown on ETA.
Mari Carmen Pinadero Martinez, 58, a housewife, said she voted to help the government end terrorism as she cast her ballot near the downtown Atocha railway station where trains were bombed.
In El Pozo, site of one of the four blasts, a ruined train car was in clear view of the polling station as were flowers for the victims, signs stating Paz (Peace) and dozens of lit candles.
Some of the voters, teary-eyed, held onto relatives and friends for support.
Five people arrested
The Interior Ministry has announced five arrests in the bombing, including three Moroccans, and the discovery of a videotape in which a man speaking Arabic says Osama bin Ladens al-Qaida network claimed responsibility for the attack.
In Morocco, authorities said one of the five detainees had been under surveillance for months and was suspected of ties to Islamic radicalism.
On Sunday, a Basque-language daily published a statement by ETA in which the group for a second time denied involvement in the attacks.
All Signs Point to al-Qaida, the countrys largest circulation newspaper, El Pais, said in a front-page banner headline Sunday.
The videotape was recovered from a trash basket near a Madrid mosque after an Arabic-speaking man called a Madrid TV station to say it was there, Interior Minister Angel Acebes said.
The political campaign was bitter between Mariano Rajoy, 48, a veteran Cabinet minister under Aznar, and Zapatero, 43, a lawyer, member of parliament and the Socialist partys general-secretary.
Before the attacks, polls gave Rajoys party a 3-5 percentage point lead over the Socialists in the race for the 350-seat Congress of Deputies.
Aznar did not seek re-election, complying with a pledge to not seek a third four-year term.
