Socialist Party Wins in Spain

But ruling party will fall short of majority in parliament
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Mar 9, 2008 4:25 PM CDT
Socialist Party Wins in Spain
Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero gestures after winning Spain's general elections at the Socialist's party headquarter in Madrid, on Sunday, March 9, 2008. (AP Photo/Victor R. Caivano)   (Associated Press)

Spain's Socialist Party overcame a sputtering economy and the murder of a former councilor to win today's national election, the BBC reports. "The Spanish people have spoken clearly and have decided to open a new period without tension, without confrontation," Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told a crowd of supporters in Madrid.

With 92% of votes tallied, the Socialists are projected to win 168 seats, compared to the conservative Popular Party's 154. But the Socialist Party failed to win a parliamentary majority and may need to re-form an uneasy union with a smaller, nationalist party.  PP's campaign chief welcomed today's result, saying "the number of votes we have won has risen considerably from 2004, as has the number of seats."  (More Spain stories.)

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