Some hope for the main opposition Socialists (PSOE) lies in the fact that their leader, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, appears to be more popular than the PP's leader. Zapatero's call for a face-to-face debate with the Rajoy is therefore understandable but has so far fallen on deaf ears.
Should the Socialists win the election, there is a suggestion that they would be more amenable in contributing to a compromise on the European Constitution. Making it clear that he was not speaking as a member of the Socialist Party, Spanish MEP Enrique Barón Crespo said: "The Socialists in Spain would deal with the negotiations on the future European Constitution in a more constructive way than the incumbent PP Government. In contrast to the uncompromising attitude of President Jose Maria Aznar who has been blocking any agreement, a government led by PSOE leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will seek a fair deal that is good for Spanish interests and that is also a balanced compromise for the other countries and the EU in general."
Talks on the Constitution collapsed in December 2003 due to Spain and Poland's unwillingness to give up the excessive (by comparision with their populations) voting rights that they gained under the Nice Treaty. According to the Financial Times, the present Spanish government has rejected a proposal by the Irish presidency that decisions be made by 55 per cent of EU Member States representing 55 per cent of the population. The Irish initiative is an adaptation of the current formula, as drafted by the Convention, whereby decisions would be made by 50 per cent of EU Member States representing 60 per cent of the population.
On a separate issue, Spain, up until now a major beneficiary of the EU's structural funds, will have to give up some of these monies when it comes to the next financial perspective 2007-13.
As regards Sunday's elections, in the light of the Spanish people's overwhelming opposition to the US-led war on Iraq, Aznar's support for the war is viewed as a potential advantage for the socialist PSOE party. Another black spot for the PP is its management of the Prestige oil spill, in November 2002, which turned into a major environmental disaster.
Other key issues in the election are the calls by Spain's 17 autonomous regions for more powers and the debate about illegal and legal immigration. A controversy over a secret meeting between the head advisor of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Josep Lluis Carod Rovira and leaders of ETA has dogged the opposition Socialists in the run-up to the 14 March elections. This appears to be playing into the PP's hands because Rovira's party, the Esquerra republicana de Catalunya, are in a coalition government with the PSOE in Catalonia. The PP clai m that these secret talks were in breach of the anti-terrorist pact signed by both parties in 2000. /isp align="justify"</> On the Thursday morning (11 March) before the elections, the theme of terrorism reared its ugly head again after several explosions at railway stations in Madrid claimed at least 198 victims (see
EurActiv 12 March ). The attack has been described as Spain's 9/11 and the BBC says it was "the deadliest in Europe since the Lockerbie airliner bomb killed 270 in 1988". As a mark of respect, Spain began three days of mourning on 12 March. Doubt as to the identity of the perpetrators is clear from a headline in El Mundo - 'ETA or Al Qaeda?'. Spanish editors are calling for answers before Sunday's elections on the basis that the identity of the culprits could influence who people vote for.Spain has a population of around 43 million with approximately 34 million registered voters.
