Zapatero Re-Elected Prime Minister

Spain’s PM Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, following his party’s victory in the March 2008 General election, returns for a second term after two parliamentary ballots.

On April 11, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero was approved by Parliament for a second term in office. The process required a second vote because Zapatero did not get enough votes during the first ballot. Zapatero’s Socialist Workers’ Party was victorious in the March 2008 General election. This was the first time since Spain returned to being a democracy in 1975 that a second parliamentary vote was required to approve a Prime Minister.

During the first ballot on April 9, Zapatero received 168 votes in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies, eight short of the required absolute majority. The second ballot, which cannot occur for at least 48 hours after the first, requires only a simple majority. On Friday morning, Zapatero received 169 votes in favor of his nomination, 158 against, and 23 abstentions.

Seeking changes within his own government, Zapatero has created a new cabinet with nine female members, including former Housing Minister Carme Chancon Piqueras, who has become the country’s first Defense Minister.

Continuing in power, Zapatero faces the daunting task of rebuilding a cooling economy and dealing with the Basque separatist group ETA. Zapatero's task will not be easy - he will lead a minority government that will be forced to seek support from other parties every time they try to get new laws passed.