Paradas - Sevilla

Viewers hand victory to Zapatero in TV debate

By Mark Mulligan in Madrid

Published: March 4 2008 01:44 | Last updated: March 4 2008 01:44

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, and opposition leader Mariano Rajoy clashed in their second and final televised debate on Monday night in an exchange that again put economy and immigration at the centre of the March 9 general election.

Viewer polls handed a resounding victory to Mr Zapatero, whose Spanish socialist party (PSOE) is seeking a second four-year term in office. Looking more assured than in last week’s debate – the first of its type in 15 years – the prime minister promised to create 2m jobs, build 150,000 social housing units and increase the minimum wage by 30 per cent.


He also vowed to secure an agreement among unionists, business leaders and legislators on measures to combat a looming economic growth slowdown.

Mr Rajoy attacked the government’s record on inflation and accused of it of triggering a “great avalanche” of illegal immigrants into the country. His Popular party (PP) hopes to use the PSOE’s at-times chaotic immigration policies to convince blue-collar supporters that their party has lost touch with its roots.

As in last week, there were also attacks on Mr Zapatero’s concessions to regional governments’ push for greater powers and his political negotiations with the ETA, the violent Basque separatist group.

Mr Rajoy reiterated his promise to cut personal and corporate taxes, while reforming education, stepping up spending on infrastructure and reviving controversial plans to divert water from northern Spain to the parched Mediterranean coast. In his closing remarks, he called for consensus politics and promised to be a prime minister of “all Spaniards”.

Spaniards, however, are unlikely to be swayed by arguments from either side. Support for the two main political blocs has remained largely unchanged throughout the campaign, and last week’s debate appears to have altered few voters’ intentions.

Polls published on Monday confirmed the PSOE’s lead, although the party still looked unlikely to pick up enough seats for an absolute majority in the Cortes, or lower house of parliament.

A survey in El Público, a left-leaning newspaper, showed the Socialists with a 4.4 per cent lead, but failing to win a majority of seats. Of the two main parties, the Socialists had run the more successful campaign, although it had not been able to “break away” from the PP, the newspaper said.

Because of Spain’s system of proportional representation, the election would be decided by a handful of votes in just seven provinces, most of them in the Mediterranean arc from Barcelona to Málaga, it said.

El Mundo, the right-leaning daily, had better news for the Socialists. Its survey of 11,000 respondents indicated that participation would be a high 76-78 per cent on Sunday. A high participation rate has traditionally favoured the party. El Mundo also gave the Socialists a 4.1 per cent lead over the PP, although it predicted the ruling party would win fewer seats than in 2004.

ABC, a conservative daily, showed the Socialist party just two points ahead of the PP, within the poll’s margin for statistical error.


Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008