MADRID, Spain (AP) - Before the deaths of 200 people in Madrid's terror bombings, few expected mild-mannered lawyer Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to become Spain's next prime minister. His Socialist Party had trailed the ruling conservatives throughout the campaign. Opponents called him inexperienced; others said he lacked flash. But everything changed after bombs tore through rush-hour trains on Thursday.
Zapatero never sought to exploit the bombings - but as the candidate who had consistently criticized Spain's decision to send 1,300 troops to Iraq, he benefited when voters opted to punish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's support for the U.S.-led war. Many believe that Aznar's support made Spain a target for terrorists. Under Aznar, Spain had eight years of economic growth and unemployment fell to 11 percent, still the highest in the European Union. Many felt sure those successes would be enough to hand victory to Aznar's hand-picked candidate to succeed him, Mariano Rajoy. Zapatero, meanwhile, had been criticized by some as inexperienced and lacking in charisma. The first time Zapatero met Aznar, as the Socialist Party's new leader in 2000, he nervously tripped over a paving stone outside the prime minister's office.
Zapatero's quiet and consensual style has been credited for a revival in the Socialists' fortunes. But he has also never served in Spain's Cabinet, leading some to question whether he is ready for the role. He was the Socialists' youngest lawmaker when first elected in 1986 at age 26. He shone sufficiently in local politics in the northern city of Leon, where he grew up, for the Socialists to turn to him after their disastrous 2000 election campaign, when Aznar won a second term.
The execution of Zapatero's grandfather, a captain in the Republican Army, by dictator Gen. Francisco Franco's Nationalist forces, strongly shaped Zapatero leftist ideals. He studied law but his passion was politics after he attended a political rally when he was 16. The speaker was Felipe Gonzalez, a charismatic Socialist leader who guided Spain's return to democracy in the 1980s after decades of dictatorship. He still keeps a portrait of Gonzalez in his office.
Zapatero has pledged to order Spain's 1,300 soldiers in Iraq home when their tour in Iraq ends in July - but he will also be under intense pressure to strengthen Spain's domestic security. "My most immediate priority will be to fight terrorism," Zapatero said shortly after his win.
| Okay, sure. But pulling the troops from Iraq will let al-Q think they've beaten you. |
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