Sunday, March 14, 2004

AP: Spain's ruling party ousted from power
*Last Updated 7:31 p.m. EST Sunday, March 14, 2004
MADRID, Spain (AP) - The opposition Socialists scored a dramatic upset win in Spain's general election Sunday, unseating conservatives stung by charges they provoked the Madrid terror bombings by supporting the U.S.-led war in Iraq and making Spain a target for al-Qaida.
The people of Spain spoke clearly tonight. Turnout was high at 77 per cent. It is said the voters are frustrated with the government led by Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar over the way it has handled their policy on Iraq. Many Spanish citizens are said to believe the government of Aznar had known an Islamic group was behind the explosions that killed 200 people on Thursday but preferred to blame Basque separatists ahead of today's general elections. The results of this election are a decided blow to President Bush's war on terror because The Socialists have promised to withdraw 1,300 Spanish troops from Iraq...and that would break the unity of the U.S.-led coalition.

All eyes will now turn to Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.