SPAIN goes to the polls to elect a new parliament two days after an assassination blamed on Basque separatists brought an early halt to campaigning just as train bombings by Islamist militants did in the last general election in 2004.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist Party had a lead of about four percentage points over the conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) led by Mariano Rajoy in the last opinion polls published in Spain last week.
If the results of the survey are confirmed, the Socialists would be re-elected but once again fall short of an absolute majority.
Some 35 million voters are called on to elect the 350 members of the Cortes, the lower house of parliament, as well as 208 of the 264 members of the Senate, or upper house.
The 56 Senate seats not concerned by today's vote are filled by indirect election by the parliaments of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.
Regional elections are also being held in the southern region of Andalusia which is a stronghold of the Socialist Party.
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Of course there is no causal link. The shameless self promoters will use anything to achieve their own ends.
A reader has correctly taken the Weasel to task over the title. Killings don't help politicians. However, some opportunists will use anything, say anything.
3 comments:
Spain heads to the polls after killings
from news.com.au
SPAIN goes to the polls to elect a new parliament two days after an assassination blamed on Basque separatists brought an early halt to campaigning just as train bombings by Islamist militants did in the last general election in 2004.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist Party had a lead of about four percentage points over the conservative opposition Popular Party (PP) led by Mariano Rajoy in the last opinion polls published in Spain last week.
If the results of the survey are confirmed, the Socialists would be re-elected but once again fall short of an absolute majority.
Some 35 million voters are called on to elect the 350 members of the Cortes, the lower house of parliament, as well as 208 of the 264 members of the Senate, or upper house.
The 56 Senate seats not concerned by today's vote are filled by indirect election by the parliaments of Spain's 17 autonomous regions.
Regional elections are also being held in the southern region of Andalusia which is a stronghold of the Socialist Party.
Polling stations are open from 19.00 AEDT to 6am AEDT tomorrow.
Television stations will announce exit survey results as soon as the polling stations close and final official results are expected on Sunday night.
All parties called off campaigning on Friday just hours before it was officially due to close at midnight after former town councilman Isaias Carrasco, a Socialist, was shot and killed in the Basque town of Mondragon.
There have been no claims of responsibility for the shooting but police said it had the hallmark of the outlawed Basque separatist movement ETA, which has killed over 800 people in bombings and shootings in its nearly 40-year campaign for an independent homeland.
Killings do not help anybody mein Freund. I think you should change the headline.
Alex
I think the Spanish left wing should change their political approach.
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