José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born August 4, 1960) is the Prime Minister of Spain. His party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, won the general election on March 14, 2004. He was sworn in by King Juan Carlos I on April 17, 2004. Download high resolution version (600x900, 123 KB)FOTOZP es un servicio especialmente pensado para l@s profesionales de los medios de comunicación. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Valladolid is an industrial city in central Spain, upon the Rio Pisuerga. ... Sonsoles Espinosa Sonsoles Espinosa Díaz is the wife of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... August 4 is the 216th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (217th in leap years), with 149 days remaining. ... 1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The following is the list of those who have served as President of the Spanish government. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... Map of Spains electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notable actions of his of his government have included withdrawing Spanish troops from Iraq and legalizing same-sex marriages.

Zapatero's supporters describe him as a capable leader open to dialogue. His opponents say he does not have a serious program and was ill-prepared to be prime minister.

He is usually referred to as Zapatero, his second surname, which means cobbler in Spanish^{[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_ZapateroAtusZapatos)}. During the election campaign, his party came up with the slogan "ZP" ("Zapatero Presidente") and it is now frequently used as a nickname. In Spanish-, Portuguese-, and Catalan-speaking regions of the world, people have two surnames. ... Cobbler may mean: a person who makes and repairs shoes and boots for a living. ... Term of office: April 17, 2004 – present Preceded by: José María Aznar Succeeded by: incumbent Date of birth: August 4, 1960 Place of birth: Valladolid First Lady: Sonsoles Espinosa Political party: PSOE José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born August 4, 1960) became the fifth Spanish prime minister (or president of the...

Early years

Zapatero was born in Valladolid to an affluent family with a long history of left-wing politics. His father, Juan Rodríguez García-Lozano, is a prominent lawyer, his mother Purificación Zapatero died in October 2000 ^{[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_MotherDeath)}. Zapatero grew up in León from where his family comes. Valladolid is an industrial city in central Spain, upon the Rio Pisuerga. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas...

His paternal grandfather, Juan Rodríguez Lozano, was a Freemason and a Republican captain who was executed by the Nationals during the Spanish Civil War, when Zapatero's father was eight years old [OCAM p. 54]. (It is believed that Zapatero is also a Freemason.^{[3] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_ZapateroMason)}) American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... Flag of the Second Spanish Republic The Second Spanish Republic (1931 – 1939) was the second period in Spanish history in which the election of both the positions of Head of State and Head of government were in the hands of the people. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ...

Zapatero began his schooling at the religious primary school "Discípulas de Jesús" in September, 1966. In September 1970, he entered the "Colegio Leonés", the only private lay school in León at the time. [OCAM p. 59] He later went on to study law at the University of León, where he graduated in 1982. As a student, he admired the agrarian reforms of Mao Tse-tung and the Soviet Union [OCAM p. 71]. September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Mao Zedong (December 26, 1893—September 9, 1976) was the chairman of the Communist Party of China from 1935 until his death. ...

After graduating, Zapatero worked as a professor of constitutional law in the University of León until 1986. He has stated that the only activity that attracts him besides politics is teaching or, at most, academic research. [OCAM p. 98] The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In October 1991, his contract was terminated by new rector of the University of León after the university's legal advisors determined that Zapatero's position as a professor and an member of parliament were incompatible (he had been elected in 1986). The legal advisors of the Spanish parliament had considered the contract valid, however. October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Zapatero has never served in the army, although the military service was compulsory in Spain until recently. He received successive deferments because of his status as a university student, a professor and a member of parliament; finally he was given an exemption. [OCAM p. 82]

Zapatero enters politics

Zapatero's attraction for politics started very early. As a youth, Zapatero frequently discussed politics and other issues with his family. As he himself has said, "As long as I can remember, I had long conversations with my father and brother about politics, law or literature in the evenings." [OCAM p. 31]. That helped form his political views from the beginning.

They were also highly influenced by the memory of the Captain Lozano, his grandfather. An important element that kept alive his memory among his relatives was the holograph will he wrote 24 hours before facing the fire squad. In it, he requested his family to forgive those who killed him, proclaimed his belief in the Supreme Being, his love for peace, his wish to improve the living conditions of the lower classes and asked his family to clean his name in the future ([4] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6733216/site/newsweek/)), . [OCAM p. 51 fol.].

Zapatero, accompanied by his family, attended his first political rally on August 15, 1976. It was a meeting organized by the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) in Gijón. Political parties had been legal since July 21, 1976 but the Socialist Party was not legalized until February 1977. The speech of Felipe González, the PSOE leader and future Prime Minister of Spain, who took part in the rally, exerted another important influence on Zapatero. He said, among other things, that "the Socialists' goal was the seizure of power by the working class to transform the ownership of the means of production" and that "the PSOE was a revolutionary party but not revolutionarist or aventurist [...], as it defended the use of elections to come to power". [OCAM p. 29 fol.]. At the time, the PSOE had not yet renounced Marxism as its ideological base (what happened at the end of 1979). August 15 is the 227th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (228th in leap years), with 138 days remaining. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... Capital Gijón Area  - total  - % of Asturias Ranked 22nd 181. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 1976 is a leap year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... Felipe González Márquez born March 5, 1942 in Seville became General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997 and Prime Minister of the Spanish government from 1982 to 1996. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... The following is the list of those who have served as President of the Spanish government. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...

Although Zapatero and his family had been traditionally attracted by the Communist Party, as it was the only well organized leftist party before Franco's death in 1975, after the political rally in Gijón, they and, especially, Zapatero started to believe that the Socialist Party had the most potential for the Spanish left. [OCAM p. 111] At the time, the Socialist Party was rebuilding its infrastructure in the province of León after its near destruction after the Spanish Civil War [OCAM p. 110]. 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936...

In 1977, the year of the first democratic elections after Franco, Zapatero supported both the Communist and Socialist Parties posting posters of both [OCAM p. 111] but he finally enrolled in the PSOE on February 23, 1979. 1977 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1977 calendar). ... February 23 is the 54th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

He soon gained prominence within his new party and, in 1982, he became head of the youth organization in the province of León. 1982 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas...

In 1986, he was elected to represent the province of León in the Cortes (Parliament), becoming its youngest Member after the election held on June 20. He was the number two in the Socialist list of the Province of León. [OCAM p. 130] In the next elections (1989, 1993, 1996 and 2000) he was the party leader, as well as in 2004 elections when he ran for Madrid. 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas... ... June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1987, Zapatero organized a coalition to obtain the mayoralty in León after the elections held that year. Zapatero and his allies justified the civic pact, as it was called by its supporters by stating that it was necessary to change the "negative dynamics" of the city, to "normalize" its democratic life, to end its "bad relations" with other institutions, such as the Regional Government of Castilla y León, to lessen the social tensions attributed to the independents, to eliminate the supposed system of patronage, etc. Months later the pact was broken by pressures from the Regional Leadership of Alianza Popular and Juan Moran became mayor again [OCAM p. 138 fol.]. 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas... Capital Valladolid Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 1st  94,223 km²  18,6% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 6th  2,480,369  5. ...

In 1988 Zapatero was appointed Secretary General in León after a hard, complex internal fight for power that ended a long period of divisions and internal confrontation. The situation was so bad that Ramón Rubial, then national president of the PSOE, asked the party in León to foster unity before the provincial conference held that year that elected Zapatero. [OCAM p. 150].

At that time, Zapatero defined himself as a "left-wing conservative". He meant with that that he considered himself an heir of the Spanish left which lost the Spanish Civil War. He also made clear that that he believed the modern Spanish Left needed to modernize and to overcome many of its ideological parameters. [OCAM p. 141] History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936...

In 1993, the Socialist Federation of León (its acronym is FSL after the Spanish Federación Socialista de León) became embroiled a major scandal around the falsification of new memberships. On May 20, he held a press conference where he rejected every accusation. [OCAM p. 102 fol.] This article is about the month of May. ... For other uses, see number 20. ...

Zapatero was finally reelected secretary general with 68% of the ballots in the 7th Regional Conference held in (July 1994), after the removal of the false memberships. [OCAM p. 100 & 192] In 1995 new regional and local elections were held. Its results were unfavorable for the Socialist Party in León as they lost four seats in the mayoralty of León and two seats in the regional parliament of Catilla-León. The results were influenced by the bad economic situation and the cases of corruption assailing the party. Zapatero had personally directed the electoral campaign. [OCAM p. 196] July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1996, after the General Election, Zapatero kept his seat at the Congress of Deputies. Next year, in 1997 Zapatero was elected again Secretary General of León and after the national conference held by the party that year he entered the National Executive (the party governing body). [OCAM p. 203] 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Association of Parliamentary Journalists awarded to Zapatero the "Diputado Revelación" prize (something like MP surprise of the year) in December 1999 for his activities as member of the Congress of Deputies. Since 1996 until 2000, his most conspicuous contributions as an MP were his vigorous opposition to the electricity protocol proposed by the government (initially negative for the important coal sector of León), his being the Socialist Spokesman in the Commission of Public Administration [OCAM p. 200] and his probably most important success as an MP: the passing of an amendment to the national budget of 2000 in November 1999 that increased the pensions of the non-professional soldiers who fought for the Republic during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939. They were made equal to the professional military.[OCAM p. 40]. December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The name Leon or Léon or León may refer to: Places in Spain León, city León, province Castile-Leon, autonomous community Kingdom of León, historical kingdom Places in Central America León, Guanajuato, Mexico León, Nicaragua Places in the United States De Leon, Texas DeLeon Springs, Florida Leon, Iowa Leon, Kansas... MP may stand for: Member of Parliament military police magic points (in roleplaying games) Northern Mariana Islands (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code and USPS state code) milepost multiprocessing in computers Minimalist Program (linguistics) Modus ponens Megapixel M.P is also a drummer of an alternative rock band School... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November is the eleventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936...

Appointment as Secretary General of the Socialist Party

On March 12, 2000, the PSOE lost its second successive election to José María Aznar's People's Party. Zapatero kept his seat, but the Socialist Party as a whole won only 125 seats, 16 fewer than in 1996. The defeat was specially bitter as the People's Party unexpectedly obtained an absolute majority for the first time and the PSOE did worse than in the previous election. Joaquín Almunia, announced his resignation the of the election. March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... Joaquín Almunia Joaquín Almunia is the member of the European Commission responsible for Economic and Monetary Affairs (since 26 April 2004). ...

Zapatero decided to run for the leadership of the PSOE in its 35th Conference celebrated in June that year. He founded together with other socialist members a new faction within the party called Nueva Vía (New Way) in April 2000, to serve him as a platform to become Secretary General. The name of Nueva Vía is a mix of Tony Blair's Third Way (tercera vía in Spanish) and the Gerhard Schröder's Neue Mitte (new center or nuevo centro in Spanish). [OCAM p. 232] The groups formulated its objectives as "a project of political and social change for and from democratic socialism, a Socialist project to allow the PSOE to recover its credibility and the citizens' trust." [OCAM p. 234] June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Tony Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ... The Third Way is a centrist political ideology that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder [] (born April 7, 1944), a German politician, has been serving as Chancellor of Germany since 1998. ...

On June 25, 2000 Zapatero announced his intention to run for the Secretary General at a meeting in León [OCAM p. 244]. In his speech, he made a declaration of principles [OCAM p. 245]: June 25 is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 189 days remaining. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

1. To build a society that would accept all foreigners notwithstanding their color or cultural level.
2. To give priority to education and to create good jobs for youngsters.
3. To provide parents with more time to spend with their children and in taking care of their elders.
4. To promote culture and its creators, making it possible for them to grab the spotlight from those aimed only at economic interests.
5. To convert Spain into a country admired for helping those with more needs.
6. To force the government to help those with initiative and enterprising qualities.
7. To foster democracy, to lend distinction to politics and to promote values over temporary interests.

Zapatero was a dark horse who had against him his inexperience and in favor his image of renovation and being the only [Member of Parliament|MP] among the candidates. (All the Spanish opposition leaders have been MPs before winning the elections. That is very important in Spanish politics where electoral campaigns last for only 15 days and to be widely known long before they begin is essential.)

He won by a relatively small margin (he obtained 414 votes out of 995 and José Bono obtained 405) on July 22, 2000 [5] (http://www.elmundo.es/noticias/2000/7/23/espana/964312046.html)). After being elected secretary general, he was congratulated by Lionel Jospin (then the French Prime Minister), Gerhard Schröder (chancellor of Germany) and José María Aznar [OCAM p. 287]. He moved to Madrid with his family that year. As a congressman he had shuttled every week between Madrid and León. [OCAM p. 201] July 22 is the 203rd day (204th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 162 days remaining. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lionel Jospin (born 12 July 1937) is a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997-2002. ... Gerhard Fritz Kurt Schröder [] (born April 7, 1944), a German politician, has been serving as Chancellor of Germany since 1998. ... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... Coat of arms Plaza de España (Spain square) Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′ N 3°45′ W. Population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ...

Opposition Leader (2000-2004)

At first, Zapatero claimed that his style would be relaxed and calm, and that he would try more to be constructive than to damage the government. He even coined the expression "Oposición Tranquila," or "Calm Opposition." Because the Socialist Party did not immediately improve its popularity, he received nicknames like "Bambi," especially in the first months after being appointed General Secretary. Soon, however, his regained his initial political momentum. Below we have divided Zapatero's opposition activities by issue. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the 1942 Walt Disney film. ...

Early Clashes

Zapatero's first clash with the the government was about the perceived inability of the government to control the rise fossil fuel prices. He asked for a reduction in the excise taxes in order to compensate for crude oil price increases. At the end of the same year, Mad Cow Disease came back into the spotlight after a outbreak in 1996. Zapatero repeatedly criticized the government's management of the crisis arguing that it was out of control. The disease did caused dozens of deaths in Europe, though none in Spain, in (April of 2005). Nodding donkey pumping an oil well near Sarnia, Ontario, 2001 Petroleum (from Latin petrus – rock and oleum – oil), mineral oil, or crude oil, sometimes colloquially called black gold, is a thick, dark brown or greenish flammable liquid, which exists in the upper strata of some areas of the Earths... Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or commonly mad cow disease) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease of cattle, which infects by a mechanism that shocked biologists on its discovery in late 20th century and appears transmissible to humans. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

In 2000, the British nuclear submarine H.M.S. Tireless docked at Gibraltar in order to have its reactor repaired. Aznar affirmed that there was no risk to the population, but Zapatero criticized him for his inability to force the British government to move the submarine elsewhere. The issue became a point of controversy and attracted public attention for months, causing several demonstrations near Gibraltar. After almost one year, the Tireless was repaired and left without having caused any known problem. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On December 19, 2001 Zapatero traveled to Morocco after the Moroccan government expelled the Spanish ambassador. Javier Arenas, a prominent member of the People's Party, accused him of not being loyal to Spanish interests. Zapatero rejected this claim and argued that he was actually trying to help solve the crisis December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Terrorism and Cooperation with the Government

In 2000 after several fatal terrorist attacks by the Basque terrorist organization ETA, Zapatero proposed the "Pacto de las Libertades contra el Terrorismo," or the "Pact of the Liberties against Terrorism." At first, some prominent Popular Party politicians, like Mariano Rajoy, opposed Zapatero's proposal saying it accomplished little, but the agreement between the parties was signed in December of 2000. The main aim of the accord was to foster unity between the parties in the fight against terrorissm. It included clauses to ensure that policies toward terrorism would not be used as a weapon for political gain. Zapatero's critics, however, argued that the pact was a plot between the two parties to bury the Socialists' ambiguity towards regional nationalism. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ...

His collaboration with the government was not limited to the pact. He also proposed a plan to reform the Judicial System (the "Pacto por la Justicia"), which was signed on May 2001. He also proposed two other pacts as well: one relating to immigration policy, and another called the "National Hydrological Plan." In these two cases, the government could not reconcile its aims with those of the Socialists. This article is about the month of May. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The National Hydrological Plan

The "National Hydrological Plan" has been a great source of regional friction. Its main component, as enacted by the People's Party, was to transfer water from the Ebro River to areas in the southeast of Spain. The scheme received the support of farmers in the southeast, and was backed by Socialist regional governments in these regions, including in the states of Extremadura, Andalusia and Castilla-La Mancha. Some Socialist leaders had supported the project when they were members of the government back in the 1990s. Because of the regional and historical support within his party, matters were complicated greatly for Zapatero. Capital Mérida Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 5th  41 634 km²  8,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 13th  1 073 050  2,6%  25,77/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  —  extremeño/a, castúo Statute of Autonomy February 26, 1983 ISO 3166-2 EX Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate... Motto: Dominator Hercules Fundator Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia for herself, for Spain, and for humanity) Capital Seville Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87 268 km²  17,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 1st  7 478 432  17,9%  85,70/km² Demonym... Categories: Castile-La Mancha | Autonomous communities of Spain ...

Opposition to the scheme was led by Zapatero, environmental groups, the Socialist regional government of Aragon, and citizens who lived in the areas from where the water was to be transferred. The main criticisms of the scheme were that it would damage the environment and deprive farmers to the north of needed water. The proponents argued that there was no risk of a serious environmental damage and that 14 times more water reached the sea each year than was needed to preserve the ecosystem. Though the scheme was enacted into law under the government of Aznar, it was cancelled once Zapatero became Prime Minister,

Education Policy

In 2001, one of the largest sources of friction between the government and the opposition was the proposed reforms affecting the education system. The People's Party introduced a law to change the University and later the LOCE, or Organic Act for Education Quality, affecting secondary education. Zapatero strongly opposed both. The People's Party used its absolute majority in the Cortes to pass its reforms, but protests by student unions and joined by Zapatero received a great deal of media attention. ...

Unemployment Benefits

In 2002, the People's Party Government decided to reform the unemployment benefits system, guided by the belief that there were too many able-bodied workers who chose not to work in favor of receiving public money. This effort at reform redefined those eligible for unemployment subsidies. Left-wing parties and trade unions considered the redefinition unacceptable, and Zapatero became the the leading opponent of the reform attempt. This was his first clash with Zapatero on a very high profile issue. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Presitge Oil Tanker Accident

In November 2002, the oil tanker Prestige suffered an accident in international waters near Galicia, causing a large oil slick that damaged the coastlines of Galicia, other parts of northern Spain, and the south Atlantic coast of France. Governmental authorities deemed the tanker to be irreparable, as it was very old and in a very bad state, and decided to move it away from the coast believing the decision would make it easier to recover the oil. (It is easier to remove oil from water than from sand.) The Prestige finally broke in two and sank after being tugged away from the coast for several days. November is the eleventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prestige means good reputation or high esteem. ... There are two well-known places called Galicia: Galicia in Western Europe, an Atlantic Ocean region in Spain. ... Volunteers cleaning up the aftermath of the Prestige oil spill An oil spill is the release of oil (generally, petroleum) into the natural environment, usually the ocean. ...

Zapatero blamed the government's management during the accident, especiallt the decision to pull the tanker away from the coast. Zapatero argued that had the ship been allowed to enter a harbor, the worst of the catastrophe could have been prevented. The accident and its consequences became a major issue for the Socialists, and perhaps the largest friction point (save the war in Iraq) entering the election of 2004. A Socialist MP in the Regional Assembly of Madrid, declared soon after the catastrophe: "We have more than enough votes. If we don't, we will sink another boat." The MP was later forced to resigned because of this statement. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A General Strike was announced for June 20, 2002 (the first since Aznar won the election in 1996). According to official data (including the electrical power consumption and the number of worked man-days calculated by the Social Security) the turnout was lower than 15%, the lowest since the restoration of democracy (there were four General Strikes during Felipe González premiership). The unions and Zapatero disbelieved the data and considered the strike a resounding success, with more than "10 million" workers. Whatever the result, both the People's Party government and the trade unions signed an agreement that satisfied both parties in November. June 20 is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 194 days remaining. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Felipe González Márquez born March 5, 1942 in Seville became General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997 and Prime Minister of the Spanish government from 1982 to 1996. ...

Felipe González declared in May 2002 in reference to the change in the Socialist Party that "My state of mind tells me that a change has taken place, that perhaps a second Suresnes ^{[6] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_Suresnes)} has happened, but it has yet to be proved that a new project with content and ideas really exists", thus doubting Zapatero's leadership. That declaration was expressed in a public event also attended by Zapatero, who calmly expressed his disagreement. González ended his intervention by remembering that his candidate for Secretary General was José Bono, not Zapatero. González rectified the next day affirming that either his words had been incorrectly construed or he had expressed his ideas erroneously. Bono himself confirmed his total support for Zapatero. [OCAM p. 310-311] Felipe González Márquez born March 5, 1942 in Seville became General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997 and Prime Minister of the Spanish government from 1982 to 1996. ... This article is about the month of May. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... José Bono. ... José Bono. ...

On October 22, 2002 Zapatero spoke in the name of the Socialist Party during the debate about the National Budget. It had been initially scheduled that Jordi Sevilla would be the Socialist spokesman but, in the last moment, he was substituted by surprise. When Jordi Sevilla, after being called by the speaker, had already descended to the floor of the Congress of Deputies, Zapatero said to him "let me do it" and climbed to the orator platform. Aznar and other members of the People's Party had previously criticized him for not representing his party in the debate, suggesting a lack of the necessary political skills. Zapatero tried to prove it was false, and it seems that his action had quite a positive effect over his supporters; although the People's Party considered his action too theatrical [OCAM p. 316]. October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ... 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

Probably, the main point of friction between Aznar and Zapatero was Iraq. Opinion polls showed that a clear majority of Spanish voters were against the American led attack against Saddam's regime (near or surpassing 90%). Among them, Zapatero who considered illegal any action against Saddam Hussein's regime and the very concept of preemptive war. Zapatero never made public his own solutions to solve the several problems affecting Iraq after its defeat in Kuwait such as the fear caused by the suspected existence of WMD or the embargo affecting the Middle East country. José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... Weapons of Mass Destruction is also the name of rapper Xzibits 2004 album. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

His first clash with the United States is related to his stance about the war. On October 12, 2003 (Spanish national holiday) he remained seated before the American flag carried by a representation of the American army taking part in the annual military parade. He declared afterwards that his action was a protest against the Iraq war and not an insult to the American people. October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On May 25, 2003 Local and Regional Elections were held all over Spain. The Socialist Party received a larger popular vote (what prompted Zapatero to claim his party had been the winner) but the People's Party obtained more government posts in councils and regional governments. In general, there were not too many changes in the results compared to those of the previous elections held in 1999. This was seen as a setback for Zapatero by his critics as his opposition activity had been very active, especially, after the Prestige catastrophe and the beginning of the Iraq invasion. In any case, Zapatero stated he firmly believed it was possible to win the 2004 General Election as, according to his opinion, the image of change was starting to be accepted by the Spanish people [OCAM p. 311]. May 25 is the 145th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (146th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Some interesting data was extracted from the outcome of the election. For example, the results in the areas affected by the Prestige disaster were especially good for the People's Party. Zapatero's opponents claimed that they proved that the Government handling of the crisis had been adequate and that Zapatero's criticisms had been demagogical. Prestige means good reputation or high esteem. ...

Another interesting fact was the defeat of the People's Party in the Autonomous Community of Madrid. After the election, the People's Party lacked two seats in the Regional Assembly to obtain an absolute majority. This allowed an alliance of Socialists and Communists to grab the power. The situation was amply welcome by Zapatero for propagandistic reasons: until then whoever had won in Madrid had also won the next General Election. Spains fifty provinces (provincias) are grouped into seventeen autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas), in addition to two African autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas) (Ceuta and Melilla). ...

But an unexpected event happened. Two socialists MPs (one of them Eduardo Tamayo, who had actively helped Zapatero to become Secretary General as it has been already related), allegedly angry at the distribution of power in the future regional government between the Communist Party (called in Spain Izquierda Unida, United Left) and the Socialist Party, started a crisis that led to the repetition of the Election in Madrid in October 2003 with the subsequent victory of the People's Party. At the beginning of the crisis Zapatero expelled José Luis Balbás (who together with Eduardo Tamayo, had decidedly helped Zapatero to become Secretary General, see: Appointment as Secretary General of the Socialist Party in this article) from the party, considering him to be part of the "rebellion" plot.

This event has been one of the most obscure in Spanish recent democratic history. Zapatero did not accept the version of the socialist MPs and tried to explain it through a conspiratorial plot caused by speculative interests of the house building industry that would have bribed the MPs to prevent a Left-wing government.

The People's Party, on the other hand, defended the theory that the anger of the two Socialist MPs was caused by a failed Zapatero's promise about the referred distribution of power within the Madrid section of the Socialist Party. That promise would have been made some months before the crisis in exchange of support for one of his more immediate collaborators (Trinidad Jiménez), who wanted to become the Socialist candidate to Mayor of Madrid (the Spanish capital). Coat of arms Plaza de España (Spain square) Madrid, the capital of Spain, is located in the center of the country at 40°25′ N 3°45′ W. Population of the city of Madrid proper was 3,093,000 (Madrilenes, madrileños) as of 2003 estimates. ...

Concerning the European Constitution, Zapatero criticized the People's Party Government attempt to preserve the distribution of power agreed by the Nice treaty (December 2000) in the new European Constitution. Zapatero thought that Spain should accept a lesser share of power.

On May 26, 2003 a Yakolev 42 plane carrying Spanish soldiers coming home from Afghanistan crashed in Turkey. The plane had been hired by an agency of the NATO and any other country could have used it. In Zapatero's view it presented clear dangers and he blamed Jose Maria Aznar and his government for neglecting aspects like the plane insurance or safety. After the 2004 March elections it was proven that there had been an important number of mistakes in the identifications of the bodies. [7] (http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/nov2003/crsh-n25.shtml) [8] (http://www.el-mundo.es/documentos/2003/05/espana/accidente_ejercito/). The accident became a kind of second Prestige in the national political arena. May 26 is the 146th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (147th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Prestige means good reputation or high esteem. ...

On September 25, 2003, Jordi Sevilla (later Minister of Public Administrations), believing the microphones were disabled during a press conference on the Socialist economical proposals, told Zapatero he had looked a little insecure and had made a couple of mistakes, adding that Zapatero needed only two afternoons to learn all the economy he needed [9] (http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2003/09/24/economia/1064428892.html). September 25 is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years). ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On November 16, 2003 a regional election was held in Catalonia. Two days before, Zapatero had predicted a historical victory for the Catalan Socialist Party and the beginning of the People's Party defeat. The final results were 46 seats for a right-wing nationalist Catalan party called CiU (ten fewer than in 1999, the year of the previous election), 42 for the Socialist Party (ten fewer), 15 for the People's Party (three more), 9 for Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds and 23 (nine more) for the Republican Left of Catalonia (probably the real winner). Zapatero attributed the bad results to the consequences of the crisis of Madrid. However, Maragall became the President of the Regional Government after a Pact with Republican Left of Catalonia and Iniciativa per Catalunya-Verds. [OCAM p. 342] November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ...

An important scandal started when the Spanish newspaper ABC published that Carod-Rovira, leader of Republican Left of Catalonia, had met some ETA terrorists secretly in January 2004. According to ABC, Carod-Rovira would have promised to provide ETA with political support if the terrorist group did not act in Catalonia what seemed to have been confirmed by the ETA announcement of a truce affecting only that region some months later, before the general election of 2004. Carod-Rovira resigned as vice president (conseller en cap) of the Catalan government, but continued to be the leader of his party. He recognized the meeting but denied an agreement had been reached with the terrorist organization. The scandal damaged Zapatero's image, as terrorism is an important problem in Spain and Carod-Rovira's party was seen as a possible socialist ally if Zapatero won the election. ABC (disambiguation) ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ABC (disambiguation) ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In spite of all his activity as an opposition leader, the opinion polls always predicted a defeat for Zapatero, even though he enjoyed the support of an important part of the Spanish media and, especially, those belonging to the PRISA group such as the daily newspaper "El País", the chain of radio stations that form the SER (Sociedad Española de Radiodifusión) or the TV channel Canal+. The PRISA group is controlled by Jesús de Polanco (one of the richest man in Spain) who has been linked to the Socialist Party in the past years. It has been claimed that he controls more media in Spain than Berlusconi in Italy. [10] (http://www.abc.es/abc/pg050222/actualidad/comunicacion/200502/21/pp.asp). Portrait of Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi (born September 29, 1936) is currently (as of 2005) the Prime Minister of Italy. ...

During the period 2000-2004, Spain suffered a process of continuous political radicalization (a phenomenon observed even internationally, e.g., Newsweek article (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6733216/site/newsweek/)). It would have had as its main exponent the numerous attacks perpetrated against the Popular Party premises and its political rallies, especially, in the months before and during the Iraq war [11] (http://www.libertaddigital.com/php3/noticia.php3?cpn=1275756079) and, topping it all, the demonstrations held the day before the General Election of 2004 in front of the Popular Party headquarters all over Spain, as it is described later. Zapatero himself took part several times in public demonstrations where small groups committed acts of vandalism in a limited fashion. Some blame Zapatero for this radicalization (sometimes even claiming a supposed obsession with the Spanish Civil War). However, Zapatero continuously, as opposition leader, boasted of his self-proclaimed "love of dialogue", which he liked to contrast with the "arrogant", "authoritarian" approach of the People's Party and, especially, that of its (then) leader José María Aznar, who would have been the real person responsible for tension in Spanish political life. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

Regional Elections

A regional election was held in the Basque country on May 13, 2001. The Socialists received 17.8% of the vote, but ended up losing one seat. Both the Socialists and the People's Party had formed an alliance against the then ruling nationalist Basque political movements, but the Basque movement's candidates won again. The results were considered a failure for Zapatero. Following the election, Nicolás Redondo Terreros, the Basque Socialist leader during the election, clearing the way for Patxi López, who had actively supported Zapatero during his campaign to become Secretary General. May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (134th in leap years). ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On October 21, 2001, Galicia held a regional election. The People's Party, led by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, obtained a new, absolute majority. The Socialist Party increased its seats from 15 to 17, but after several years of being in the opposition, the results were considered a defeat. These negative results in Basque country and Galicia seemed to confirm that Zapatero's approach was not working. October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... There are two well-known places called Galicia: Galicia in Western Europe, an Atlantic Ocean region in Spain. ... Manuel Fraga when was Francos Minister Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Iribarne (born November 23, 1922 at Vilalba, Galicia) is the president of the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia. ...

In 2002, Zapatero was chosen to lead the Socialists into the next general election. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The General Election of March 14, 2004

The campaign for the general election started a fortnight before March 14, 2004. The opinion polls were favorable to the People's Party, which, according to some of them, could even repeat its absolute majority. Map of Spains electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Previously, on January 8, 2004, Zapatero had created a Committee of Notables composed of ten highly qualified experts with a considerable political weight. Its mission was to help him to become prime minister. Among their members: José Bono (his ex-rival for the Secretaryship of the party), Ibarra (president of the regional government of Extremadura and one of the most important socialist leaders), Moratinos (his current minister of Foreign affairs [April 2005]), Gregorio Peces-Barba (later appointed by him High Commissioner for the Victims of Terrorism), Carmen Calvo (later appointed Minister of Culture), etc. [OCAM p. 313] January 8 is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... José Bono. ... Ibarra can mean several things: Ibarra is the capital of the province of Imbabura in Ecuador. ... Capital Mérida Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 5th  41 634 km²  8,2% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 13th  1 073 050  2,6%  25,77/km² Demonym  – English  – Spanish  —  extremeño/a, castúo Statute of Autonomy February 26, 1983 ISO 3166-2 EX Parliamentary representation  – Congress seats  – Senate... Miguel Ángel Moratinos, (born June 8, 1951) is a socialist Spanish politician, since April 18, 2004 the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. ...

Ten days later, on January 18, 2004, Zapatero announced that he would only become prime minister if the Socialist Party was the most voted political force, renouncing in advance to possible parliamentary alliances in other case. The decision was criticized by the minority parties (especially United Left) as they considered it an attempt to attract their voters, who would prefer to ensure a defeat of the People's Party even at the expense of voting for other party. [OCAM p. 317] January 18 is the 18th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... United Left is the name of a political party in various countries Argentina - United Left Austria - United Left (defunct) Peru - United Left Spain - United Left See also: List of political parties. ...

Once the campaign started, Zapatero's slogan was "we deserve a better Spain". Some of Zapatero's electoral promises were: 180,000 new houses every year to buy or to rent, preservation of a balanced budget with no deficit but with a more flexible approach than that of the People's Party, bilingual education, a computer per every two students, a maximum duration for legal processes of two years or financial compensation, more investment on R&D, to make the state-owned television company more independent from the government by making his director eligible by the parliament, etc. [OCAM p. 312] The Peoples Party, Popular Party, or Populist Party, is any of several political parties claiming to speak for the people; see Populism. ... The phrase research and development (also R and D or R&D) has a special commercial significance apart from its conventional coupling of research and technological development. ...

During the campaign, Zapatero criticized the People's Party harshly for its management of the Prestige crisis, its attitude towards the invasion of Iraq or the high cost of housing. Mariano Rajoy, the new leader of the People's Party after Aznar's voluntary retirement, on his part, exploited the economical successes of his party since 1996 and attacked Zapatero's foreseeable future alliances with parties like United Left (communist) or Republican Left of Catalonia (a pro-Independence Catalan party very unpopular outside Catalonia). Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ... José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... United Left is the name of a political party in various countries Argentina - United Left Austria - United Left (defunct) Peru - United Left Spain - United Left See also: List of political parties. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Spanish and Catalan In Val dAran, also Aranese. ...

One of the most important friction points was the absence of televised debates between the candidates. Zapatero was the first to propose a debate to Mariano Rajoy. Rajoy accepted on the condition that Zapatero could not be alone but accompanied at least by two of his potential allies after the election: Gaspar Llamazares (the leader of United Left a Spanish Communist Party) and Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira (leader of Republican Left of Catalonia). Rajoy justified his decision on the grounds that, in his opinion, he was not running against the Socialist Party but against a "coalition" of forces opposed to the People's Party policies. Zapatero never formally answered this proposal and continued criticizing throughout the campaign what he always defined as Mr. Rajoy's reluctance to defend face-to-face his political program. (Zapatero has promised to change electoral law to make televised debates compulsory.) Mariano Rajoy Brey Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Peoples Party, (PP). ...

On Thursday March 11, 2004 the most terrible terrorist attacks ever in Spanish history took place. Several commuters' trains were bombed causing 191 deaths and a terrible outrage all over Spain. The attacks took place three days before the General Election and all electoral activities were suspended. The common sorrow instead of promoting unity among Spaniards increased the already bitter tone of the campaign [12] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6733216/site/newsweek/). The 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks (also known as 11/3, 3/11, M-11 and 11-M) were a series of coordinated terrorist bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800. ...

Everybody, including the People's Party government and Zapatero (who accused ETA in a radio statement broadcast at 8:50 a.m.), initially claimed the attacks to be the work of the Basque terrorist organization ETA. Aznar's government told its ambassadors [13] (http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040313/325/eog3x.html), the Spanish and international media and the other European governments that ETA was behind the crime (thus discarding Al-Qaeda) [14] (http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A64804-2004Mar16?language=printer). It asked the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning ETA for the attacks, unprecedently mentioning the authors' organization name. (Inocencio Arias, then Spanish ambassador at the United Nations, apologized a few days later [15] (http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/issues/0316loseface.htm).) This article is about the Basque people. ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ...

Later in the day, an audio tape in Arab was found in a van near a railway station where the terrorists boarded one of the trains. Aznar declared next day (March 12, 2004) that all of the possibilities were being investigated [16] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3504950.stm), although he still believed that ETA was the most likely option. This was the stance mainly maintained by Aznar's government: two lines of investigation were being followed with the most likely being that pointing to ETA, whose involvement was never discarded. March 12 is the 71st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (72nd in Leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ...

The government explanations and information did not satisfy an important number of Spaniards. In fact, it was increasingly accused of manipulating the existing information about the real authorship of the attacks to avoid the consequences of public anger at a bombing "caused" by its foreign policy. The virulence of the criticism increased as election day approached, being fostered by events like the broadcasting of the film Asesinato en Febrero (a documentary about a murder committed by ETA) by the Spanish Public Television, TVE, without previous scheduling on March 13, 2004; what was considered an attempt to influence public opinion^{[17] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_AsesinatoEnFebrero)}. ETA logo Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or ETA (IPA: [ˈɛːta]), is an armed Basque terrorist organisation that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people, separate from Spain and France, the states that currently control the Basque country. ... TVE may stand for: Televisión Española Township and Village Enterprise This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Zapatero has himself repeatedly accused the Popular Party of lying about the authorship of the attacks, but only after the election. On the other hand, Zapatero has been accused of telling the Spanish media that suicidal bombers had been found among the victims in the hours following the blasts (although all the specialists that examined the bodies said they found no evidence pointing to that) [18] (http://www.periodistadigital.com/object.php?o=31156). (When he was asked in December 2004 about the issue by the Parliamentary Investigative Committee created to find the truth about the attacks he declared that he did not "remember" what he had said.) December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On March 13, 2004 (the day before the election, called reflection day in Spain), demonstrations protesting the government "manipulative" attitude took place in front of the People's Party premises all over Spain. The demonstrators were summoned by text messages sent from mobile phones. The People's Party later accused the Socialist Party of having organized the demonstrations and even of having sent text messages using automatic devices it would possess. That claim was specially serious as demonstrations are forbidden by law during reflection day. The accusation has never been seriously investigated as no enough evidence has been found to start a judicial process and the committee created to investigate the attacks and what happened between March 11 and March 14, did not come to any conclusion about this. March 13 is the 72nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (73rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The next day, on March 14, Zapatero won the election with the PSOE obtaining 164 seats, and the People's Party 148. The Socialist Party could not fully enjoy its triumph because of the shadow of what had happened the three previous days. The happy crowd gathered to celebrate the victory in front of the Socialist Headquarters cried to Zapatero: "Don't fail us!", probably remembering the disappointment caused by the former Socialist government in its last years. March 14 is the 73rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (74th in Leap years) with 292 days remaining in the year. ... Map of Spains electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ...

Today is accepted that the electoral result was influenced by the attacks ^{[19] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%E9_Luis_Rodr%EDguez_Zapatero#fn_ElMundoPoll)}. Regarding this, there exists several points of views:

• The attacks changed the electoral winner. A sufficient number of voters decided to vote for the Socialist party either because they disliked the "manipulation" of Aznar's government or because they did not want to suffer the consequences of a foreign policy they disliked.
• The attacks did change the result but not the winner. The Socialist Party was going to win but with fewer votes.

An important point of controversy is if the attacks were planned to cause a Socialist victory. The "March 4 theory", defended among others by José María Aznar, states that the attacks would have taken place on March 4 if the election had been scheduled for March 7. No definitive data proves it but some facts have been used to support it. For example, the first question Jamal Zougam (one of the first arrested suspects) made when he arrived at the courthouse on Monday March 15, 2004 was: 'Who won the election?' [20] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4571262/site/newsweek/). José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

In any case, some foreign media, especially in the US, considered the electoral result to be a result of fear and that it would encourage further terrorist attacks as Zapatero had opposed Bush's policy in the Middle East and had promised to withdraw the Spanish troops from Iraq. Left-wingers, among others, rejected that, pointing out that the Spanish people have lived in defiance of ETA for decades and Zapatero himself had firmly condemned terrorism repeatedly.

On June 13, 2004 (three months after the General Election) the Election for the European Parliament took place. The Socialist Party won again with 25 seats against 24 for the People's Party (out of 54). Although José Borrell was the official candidate, Zapatero played an important role in that campaign (as it is usual in Spain). The new triumph seemed to dissipate the doubts about the causes of his previous victory. They were not totally closed as the difference between the two parties lowered to a minimum (only a seat). June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The European Parliament is the parliamentary body of the European Union (EU), directly elected by EU citizens once every five years. ... Josep Borrell Fontelles (born April 24, 1947 in La Pobla de Segur), is a Spanish Member of the European Parliament. ...

Appointment by the Congress and inauguration

Zapatero had won the election but lacked the necessary absolute majority needed to ensure his appointment as Prime Minister (176 are needed for that, he counted only with 164 MPs).

Between the Election Day and the debate prior to his election by the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) a period of consultations and negotiations with different political groups started. In the end, Zapatero obtained the support of United Left and Republican Left of Catalonia, allowing him to be elected in the first vote cast by the lower house, the Congress of Deputies. The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is an electoral coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ...

The support of Zapatero's allies was intentionally obtained without drafting an official agreement for the rest of his term of office. Because of that, the Socialist Party needs to negotiate with the rest of political forces before any vote takes place in the Parliament. PP leader Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly accused Zapatero's government of being weak due to its lack of permanent support. From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ...

As a Prime Minister, Zapatero has been the first leader of a Spanish government to have the same number of male and female ministers. He has declared himself to be a feminist.

Prime Minister

Domestic policy

In 2004, the CIA world factbook summed up the initial Rodríguez Zapatero intentions saying that "he plans to reduce government intervention in business, combat tax fraud, and support innovation, research and development, but also intends to reintroduce labor market regulations that had been scraped by the Aznar government". Other important problems in Spain are terrorism, the traditional territorial tensions, housing, unemployment, immigration, economical competitiveness, the low birthrate, domestic violence, etc. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

He himself summarized his first decisions and intentions in an interview (http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040927-699350,00.html) published by Time Magazine on September 19, 2004: "[...] I increased the minimum wage and education grants and scholarships; I've proposed new laws on gender-based violence, reform of divorce laws, homosexual marriage and extensions of civil rights. I want to increase our spending on research and development by 25%. That's something the U.S. does very well. That dynamism alongside a welfare state in the European community - that's the synthesis I want to achieve." (Clockwise from upper left) Time magazine covers from May 7, 1945; July 25, 1969; December 31, 1999; September 14, 2001; and April 21, 2003. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Since the first moment, Zapatero also announced his intention to undertake limited reforms to the Spanish Constitution (but he has not made clear yet what he wants exactly to reform, how and why [April 2005]).

The legalization of same-sex marriage (expected for the Summer of 2005) will include adoption rights. The recognition of homosexual marriage and the project of legalizing euthanasia (later withdrawn) together with the changes in the teaching of religion in school and the projects of modifying the financing scheme of the Catholic Church are the main factors in the growing tension between the Socialist government and the Roman Catholic Church. [21] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6885557/site/newsweek/). 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Saint Peters Basilica in Rome. ...

The first law his government passed was against gender violence. At first, Zapatero wanted it to protect only women, forgetting other victims like children, elders or men. According to the General Council of the Judicial Power (Consejo General del Poder Judicial), that stance made the initial draft unconstitutional as it discriminated citizens for its sex. Finally, the text was changed and the term 'especially vulnerable victim' substituted that of 'woman' in the articles defining the new punishments established by the law. After that change, it was approved by unanimity in the parliament. (Text of the law (http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2004-12-29/pdfs/A42166-42197.pdf).)

Zapatero has often declared that his government will not be "soft on terrorism" and will not allow regional nationalists to endanger Spanish unity. This comment was aroused, probably, for his party alliances with parties like Republican Left of Catalonia.

The biggest defiance against Spanish unity has come from Juan José Ibarretxe [22] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6823214/) - the head of the Basque Regional Government. His so-called Ibarretxe Plan is a reform of the statute now regulating the Basque Autonomous Community considered almost equivalent to a declaration of independence by its opponents. The plan was drafted by the Basque regional government and approved by the regional legislature over the opposition of the Socialist and People's parties. The People's Party pressured Zapatero to prevent the vote from taking place, but Zapatero, insisted on debating and voting it. The Spanish National Parliament rejected the plan, as was expected because it was opposed by both the Socialist and People's Party. The plan then became a major issue in the campaign of the Basque parliamentary election held on April 17, where its main proponent, the Basque Nationalist Party, suffered an important lost of votes. Zapatero has stated that he will support in the national parliament any statute reform supported by two-thirds of the Basque parliament (which would include the Socialist Party given the distribution of seats in it). Juan José Ibarretxe Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born May 15, 1957) is a Basque politician. ... April 17 is the 107th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (108th in leap years). ...

One of the most important Zapatero's electoral promises was to make housing more accessible. Housing prices have increased largely in Spain, mostly since 2001. For that purpose he created a new ministry. The Minister of Housing (Ministra de la Vivienda) has declared that her intention is not to reduce housing prices but to allow people to obtain a house more easily. In Zapatero's first year as prime minister the cost of buying a house has increased around 17% on average, figure similar to those before being appointed [23] (http://www.elmundo.es/mundodinero/2004/11/16/Noti20041116095929.html). 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In October 2004 Zapatero's government undertook the task of morally and legally rehabilitating those who were suppressed during and after the Spanish Civil War, by instituting a Memory Commission chaired by Vice-president María Teresa Fernández de la Vega. Some accused him of deliberately forgetting the incidents in Republican territory affecting right-wing victims. Zapatero's grandfather's, in his will, called on family members to clear his name "when the time is right", as has been already said. October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... History of Spain Series Prehistoric Spain Roman Spain Medieval Spain Age of Reconquest Age of Expansion Age of Enlightenment Reaction and Revolution First Spanish Republic The Restoration Second Spanish Republic Spanish Civil War The Dictatorship Modern Spain Topics Economic History Military History Social History The Spanish Civil War (July 1936... María Teresa Fernández de la Vega in her office María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, Doctor of Law (born June 15, 1949) is a socialist Spanish politician, since April 18, 2004 the First Vice President and Minister of Presidency in the government of José Luis Rodr...

In December 2004, Zapatero became the first prime minister to face an Investigative Committee after being interrogated by the Committee created to discover the truth about the March 11 attacks [24] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6703389/). December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Foreign policy

Zapatero.

Zapatero's foreign policy decisions have played an important role in his activity. FOTOZP es un servicio especialmente pensado para l@s profesionales de los medios de comunicación. ... FOTOZP es un servicio especialmente pensado para l@s profesionales de los medios de comunicación. ...

Zapatero claims to favor a multilateral world with the United Nations playing a fundamental role. He has also affirmed his view that a strict respect to international law is essential for keeping peace (clearly in reference to the Iraq war). The first time he talked before the United Nations Assembly he proposed an Alliance of Civilizations as the solution for the world's problems.

Foreign policy is one of the areas where Zapatero differs most from his predecessor José María Aznar. Aznar defended a foreign policy based on two pillars. One of them was a strong alliance with the United States. The other was a peripheral European strategy where Spain would emphasize its friendship with European countries like Italy, the United Kingdom or Poland in order to compensate French and German power. Zapatero has preferred to focus in what he considered to be the core countries of the European Union, mainly France and Germany, which would form along with Spain a strong block opposed to American preponderance and aimed at directing Europe destiny. José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ...

Following his political creed, Rodríguez Zapatero, soon after winning the election, ordered back home the 1300 Spanish troops in Iraq. The scheduled return date coincided with the beginning of the European Election political campaign (what was not casual according to some critics, as the opposition to Aznar's Iraq policy had been high among Spaniards). The Socialist victory in March and his announcement of the withdrawal coincided with a serious growth in the amount of terrorist abductions in Iraq intended to blackmail the victims' countries governments. March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...

During the electoral campaign Zapatero had promised to withdraw the troops if control in Iraq was not passed to the United Nations after June 30th (the ending date of the initial Spanish military agreement with the multinational coalition that had overthrown Saddam Hussein). He declared that he did not intend to withdraw the Spanish troops before that date after being questioned about the issue by Mariano Rajoy in his inauguration parliamentary debate.

The decision aroused a high international criticism worldwide, as it was feared that the terrorists could perceive it as a victory obtained thanks to the March 11 attacks. Even the then Democrat candidate for the American Presidency, John Kerry asked Zapatero not to retire the Spanish soldiers. Some months after retiring the troops, the Socialist Government agreed to increase the number of Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan and to send troops to Haiti. It seems that one of the aims of these actions was to show the Spanish Government willingness to spend resources on international missions it approved of.

On June 8, 2004, with the withdrawal already finished, Zapatero's government voted in the UN Security Council in favor of the Resolution 1546where (http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sc8117.doc.htm) could be read the following: June 8 is the 159th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (160th in leap years), with 206 days remaining. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

"The Security Council, Recognizing the importance of international support [...] for the people of Iraq in their efforts to achieve security and prosperity [...], Recognizing that international support for restoration of stability and security is essential to the well-being of the people of Iraq [...], and welcoming Member State contributions in this regard [...], Affirming the importance of international assistance in reconstruction and development of the Iraqi economy [...],

15. Requests Member States and international and regional organizations to contribute assistance to the multinational force, including military forces, as agreed with the Government of Iraq, to help meet the needs of the Iraqi people for security and stability, humanitarian and reconstruction assistance, and to support the efforts of UNAMI;"

Later, during a visit to Tunisia, he asked all of the countries with troops in Iraq to withdraw their soldiers thus imitating his decision. This declaration moved the U.S. president George W. Bush to send an angry letter to the Spanish premier. Later, the American ambassador to Spain refused to go to the annual National Holiday military parade on October 12, 2004 as a response to Zapatero's behavior the previous year. George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and the 43rd and current president of the United States. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Zapatero publicly stated his support for John Kerry as a candidate running the American Presidential Election in November 2004. After they took place, Bush never returned Zapatero's congratulation phone call. (The White House firmly denied that Bush's intention was snubbing the Spanish prime minister. [25] (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1354071,00.html)) Zapatero has repeatedly insisted that Spain relations with the United States are good.

Another change in Spanish foreign policy was Zapatero's decision to approach extreme left-wing leaders such as Fidel Castro or the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez. Zapatero has played an important role in the improvement of the relation between the Cuban Communist regime and the European Union. Fidel Castro Fidel Castro Ruz (born August 13, 1926), has led Cuba since 1959, when, leading the 26th of July Movement, he overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, and transformed Cuba into the first Communist-led state in the Western Hemisphere. ... Hugo Chavez in 1999, as President of Venezuela Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (born July 28, 1954) is the President of Venezuela. ...

On the issue of Gibraltar, Zapatero initially took a strong line with the United Kingdom, complaining at Gibraltar's celebrations for the tercentenary of its independence from Spain. Zapatero's government could have considered those celebrations a provocation due to the tensions caused by the Spanish withdrawal in Iraq.

At the end of 2004, Zapatero decided to change his policy and to become the first Spanish prime minister to accept the participation of Gibraltar as a partner in the same level than Spain and the United Kingdom in the discussions both countries hold regularly about the colony. The Spanish opposition considered the decision a surrender of the Spanish rights over the British colony. Zapatero justified it as a new way to solve a 300 hundred years old problem.

Regarding the writing of the European Constitution, Zapatero accepted the distribution of power proposed by countries such as Germany and France, abandoning Poland, that had defended until then the same stance than the Spanish previous government. That new distribution meant a loss of influence for Spain, but Zapatero accepted it even without any compensation for his country. After signing up the treaty in Rome together with other leaders, he decided to call for a referendum on it, which was held on February 20, 2005. It was the first in Europe (a fact high publicized by Zapatero's government). The turnout was the lowest in Spanish history, only 41%. Of those 75% voted in favor of the European Constitution, which had been defended by the most important parties (including the Socialist Party and the People's Party). [26] (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6967515/) The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

In December 2004, Zapatero, after attending the Parliamentary Investigative Committee about the March 11 terrorist attacks for 15 hours, decided to suspend his meeting with the Polish government, scheduled for the next day in Poland. He argued, literally that "he felt a little tired". Some days later Zapatero was scheduled to meet the Polish Prime Minister in a European summit to be held in Brussels. This meeting did not take place either after the airplane of the Polish leader was said to have suffered an unexpected delay. All this was feared to aggravate the already damaged Spanish-Polish relations after Zapatero's decision to change the Spanish stance regarding the European Constitution. However, some time later, an official meeting meant a reconciliation of both nations.

On March 1, 2005 he became the first Spanish prime minister to speak to the French National Assembly. March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

At the end of March 2005, he traveled to Venezuela to draw a deal to sell Hugo Chavez's regime military ships and aircraft worth around $1000 million. The decision was criticized by the American Government and the People's Party. Zapatero has claimed that the equipment sold had no offensive power. March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ...

Personal Data

On January 27, 1990, Zapatero married Sonsoles Espinosa Díaz, the daughter of military officer (Rafael Espinosa Armendáriz) [27] (http://www.minutodigital.com/noticias/sonsoles.htm). Sonsoles studied law and is an opera singer and a music teacher. She cried when he was elected first Secretary General and Prime Minister because of the change it supposed for their family life ([OCAM p. 206]). He is father of two girls, Laura (1993) and Alba (1995). January 27 is the 27th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sonsoles Espinosa Sonsoles Espinosa Díaz is the wife of Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. ...

He has been the first Spanish prime minister who has not shown his family to the public media, as there do not exist available recent images of his two young daughters. The Spanish people do not know how his wife's voice sounds as she has never said anything in public (April 2005).

Zapatero is only fluent in Spanish and has some rough basic knowledge of English. His father sent him to Britain several summers to help him learn English. After being appointed Secretary General he received daily classes by a private teacher. [OCAM p. 66]

Some of his hobbies are fishing trout, walking on the countryside, jogging or reading political essays [OCAM p. 20]. His favorite sports are football and basketball. Rodríguez Zapatero is a supporter of the Barcelona football team. It seems probable he decided to support Barcelona because it was preferred by left-wingers, as Real Madrid (the other most important Spanish team) was considered a symbol of Franco's regime, especially favored by him because of its international successes. Zapatero, however, affirms that he chose it because a famous striker from León, César Rodríguez Álvarez, had played for the team in the 1940's. In any case, all of his friends preferred Real Madrid. [OCAM p. 68] FC Barcelona, also known as Barça, is a sports club in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain with sections in many different sports. ... Barcelona within Barcelonès Population (2003) 1,582,738 Area 1004 Km2 Population density (2001) 15,764/Km2 Barcelona is the capital of Catalonia, an autonomous region in northeastern Spain (41°23′ N 2°11′ E). ... Real Madrid Club de Fútbol is a Spanish football club, ranked as the worlds most successful club for the 20th century by the governing body of international football (FIFA), just ahead of Manchester United. ... Strikers are the players on a team in football (soccer) in the row nearest to the opposing teams goal, who are therefore principally responsible for scoring goals. ...

He smokes. He used to be quite a compulsive smoker in his University years but now he has lowered down to a few cigarettes a day. His drinking of alcohol has always been moderate, even in his youth [OCAM p. 73].

Notes

1. ⇧A common taunt used against him is 'Zapatero. ¡A tus zapatos!', which is a Spanish expression meaning 'get on with it' and literally translated would mean 'Cobbler. Get back to your shoes!'
2. ⇧ His mother died of cancer on October 30, 2000, after his appointment as leader of his party. He was very affected by the event. [OCAM p. 290]
3. ⇧ See theinterview (http://www.periodistadigital.com/espana/object.php?o=67438) with Ricardo de la Cierva, famous Spanish historian and former right-wing minister, published by the Semanario Alba on May 12, 2005, for a testimony supporting that hypothesis.
4. ⇧ Upon being elected, Zapatero promised that primary elections would be used to elect candidates in the future [OCAM p. 274].
5. ⇧ Suresnes is a French city where Felipe González was appointed Secretary General in the 1970's.
6. ⇧ According to [28] (http://marenostrum.org/ecologia/medio_ambiente/prestige/) the Prestige accident started 28 miles away from the Cape Fisterra in Galicia. The territorial waters of Spain extends for only 12 miles.
7. ⇧ After the election took place, Alfredo Urdaci, in charge of the news of the public channel until the Socialist victory, declared the decision of broadcasting Asesinato en Febrero was made by Juan Menor, then director of TVE, what he has denied. Juan Menor kept his job until December 2004 when he was fired for the bad audience rate of the channel, what made him one of the few top executives who was not immediately removed by the new Socialist government. [29] (http://canales.elcorreodigital.com/auladecultura/urdaci5.html)[30] (http://www.elmundo.es/documentos/2005/01/20/urdaci/urdaci18.html).
8. ⇧ According to a poll published a year after the attacks by the Madrid newspaper El Mundo, 70% of the Spaniards believed that the attacks contributed decisively to the Socialist victory.

October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... May 12 is the 132nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (133rd in leap years). ... 2005 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar and is the current year. ... Suresnes is a suburb of Paris in France. ... Felipe González Márquez born March 5, 1942 in Seville became General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) from 1974 to 1997 and Prime Minister of the Spanish government from 1982 to 1996. ... Motto: Capital Santiago de Compostela Official languages Galician and Castilian Area  – Total  – % of Spain Ranked 7th  29 574 km²  5,8% Population  – Total (2003)  – % of Spain  – Density Ranked 5th  2 737 370  6,5%  92,36/km² Demonym  – English  – Galician  – Spanish  – Portuguese  Galician  galego  gallego  galego Statute of Autonomy April... TVE may stand for: Televisión Española Township and Village Enterprise This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• [OCAM] Óscar Campillo Madrigal. Zapatero. Presidente a la Primera. 1st ed. updated. (La Esfera de los Libros, Spain, April 2004). ISBN 84-9734-193-7.

See also

• History of Spain
• Politics of Spain

History of Spain Series -Timeline -Roman Spain -Visigothic Spain -Moorish Spain -Age of Reconquest -Age of Expansion -Age of Enlightenment -Reaction and Revolution -First Spanish Republic -The Restoration -Second Spanish Republic -Spanish Civil War -The Dictatorship -Modern Spain Topics -Economic History -Military History -Social History The history of Spain is... Parliamentary democracy was restored following the death of General Franco in 1975, who had ruled since the end of the civil war in 1939. ...

External links

Official

• Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (http://www.psoe.es/ambito/actualidad/home.do)
• Web site of La Moncloa, official residence of the Spanish Prime Minister (http://www.la-moncloa.es/)

Press

• The second transition, a survey of Spain by The Economist, Jun 24th 2004 (http://economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=2764840)

• Interview published by Time Magazine, 19 Sep 2004 (http://www.time.com/time/europe/magazine/article/0,13005,901040927-699350,00.html)

• Copy of the editorial of the Wall Street Journal "The Accidental Prime Minister", 25 November 2004 (http://www.gees.org/documentos/Documen-230.pdf)

• Alternet, 11 April 2005, "Zapatero Steps Up" (first year in office) (http://www.alternet.org/story/21803/)

Spanish

• Extended biography by CIDOB Foundation (http://www.cidob.org/bios/castellano/lideres/r-045.htm)
• Biography in Spanish of Zapatero (http://www.tuabogadodefensor.com/01ecd193df1195501/01ecd193df1195506.html#BIOGRAFÍA_DE_JOSÉ_LUIS_RÓDRIGUEZ_ZAPATERO_NUEVO_PRESIDENTE_DEL_GOBIERNO_DE_ESPAÑA_TRAS_LAS_ELECCIONES_DEL_14M04)
• Website highly critical of Rodríguez Zapatero (http://www.elzapatazo.com)

José María Aznar López (born February 25, 1953) was Prime Minister of the Spanish government from May 5, 1996 to April 17, 2004. ... The following is the list of those who have served as President of the Spanish government. ...