Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar on Monday set national elections for March 14 and asked King Juan Carlos to dissolve Parliament. "I am proud and honored to have served Spain and the satisfaction to leave the country in a better situation than it was when I took over," said Aznar, who is not running for re-election. "I go with a clear conscience. I believe serenely that I have carried out at my responsibilities at all times," Aznar said. "I have fulfilled the commitments I took on. I have no intention of looking back."
The date was announced more than a week ago, but it remained for Aznar to announce it officially at a final cabinet meeting, after which he went to the Zarzuela Palace to ask the king to sign a decree dissolving the national legislature. Aznar, 50, has been prime minister for two four-year terms, and his conservative Popular Party is favored to win again. The party recently endorsed Aznar’s hand-picked candidate, Mariano Rajoy, to lead its ticket. Two months ahead of the balloting, Rajoy leads in almost every poll over the Socialists’ candidate, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, a 43-year-old lawyer and congressman who has no experience in government. Rajoy was expected to continue Aznar’s conservative policies, including support for the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and cracking down on the militant Basque separatist group ETA. The Popular Party presided over an economic upswing in the 1990s marked by lower taxes and a balanced national budget.
Thank you for your support, Mr. Aznar, and I hope Rajoy is as good as his press. |