Socialists win Spanish elections

Socialists win Spanish elections

BBC - Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's ruling Socialist Party has won Spain's general elections.

With 96% of votes counted, the Socialists were set to win 169 seats, short of the 176 needed for an absolute parliamentary majority.

Mariano Rajoy's conservative Popular Party was projected to win 153 seats.

Mr Zapatero thanked jubilant supporters for a "clear victory" and pledged to open a "new period" in Spanish politics after a bitter campaign.

"The Spanish people have spoken clearly and have decided to open a new period without tension, without confrontation," he told the flag-waving crowd gathered outside his Socialist Party's Madrid headquarters.

The BBC's Johnny Dymond in Madrid said his tone was emollient, after what has been a bad-tempered battle for votes.

Mr Rajoy, the prime minister's leading rival, congratulated Mr Zapatero.

"I have called the candidate of the Socialist Party and I have wished him luck for the good of Spain," he said.

High turnout

Pio Garcia Escudero, the PP's campaign co-ordinator said Sunday's elections results had also been good for the PP, which previously held 148 seats.

"The number of votes we have won has risen considerably from 2004, as has the number of seats," he said. "That gives us enormous satisfaction."

Reporting from the Socialist Party headquarters, our correspondent said a huge roar went up from supporters as Mr Zapatero came out to address them.

Although the party has increased its number of seats from 164, he says it will still have to go into an informal coalition, probably with the largest Catalan nationalist party.

Despite attempts to attack the ruling party on the faltering economy, immigration and accusations of being soft on terrorism, the PP failed to make the charges stick, our correspondent says.

Credit crunch

The elections were marred by Friday's killing of the former Socialist councillor, Isaias Carrasco, in the Basque Country.

Police have blamed Basque separatists for the shooting, which brought election campaigning to an early close, but so far no group has claimed responsibility.

In 2004, voters turned out in high numbers - galvanised by the Madrid train bombings that killed 191 people three days earlier - to give Mr Zapatero a surprise victory over Mr Rajoy's conservative government.

However, the economy has been a key issue this time.

After a decade of good growth, Spain's economy is stuttering. Inflation is at a 10-year high and unemployment is the highest this century.

The Spanish housing boom is dwindling, exacerbated by the global credit crunch.

Mr Rajoy's conservative opposition party focused on immigration, a bigger issue than in previous polls.

The Socialists, meanwhile, highlighted the liberal reforms of their time in office, including the introduction of a gender-equality law, fast-track divorces and same-sex marriage.

Spain's 35 million voters were electing 350 members of the Cortes, or lower house of parliament, and 208 members of the 264-member upper house, the Senate.

The remaining 56 Senate seats are decided by indirect election by assemblies in Spain's 17 autonomous regions.