Spanish/Eng/NatrnrnVoters in Spain will elect a new government on Sunday with polls predicting an end to 13 years of socialist rule.rnrnWith...
Spanish/Eng/NatrnrnVoters in Spain will elect a new government on Sunday with polls predicting an end to 13 years of socialist rule.rnrnWith a lead of between 6.5 and 11.6 percentage points in opinion polls, the centre-right Partido Popular Party of Jose Maria Aznar is predicted to oust the ruling Socialist party of Premier Felipe Gonzalez. rnrnAznar's programme includes austere economic measures to combat Spain's huge budget deficit and high unemployment.rnrnThe man who looks set to lead Spain into the 21st century is a 43-year-old former tax inspector who's also promising a tough crackdown on terrorism.rnrnJose Maria Aznar has had his eye on the premier's job for seven years now. His determination looks as if it's finally going to pay off. rnrnSOUNDBITE: (Spanish)rnWe have to go back to a concept of responsibility, austerity, work, effort, which will in turn lead to this economic renewal, the great economic reforms and modernization which Spain needs and which also entails a reform of the state system, so that we can have a more modern state, a more active and efficient administration, that is exactly what Spain needs and that is what the Partido Popular is going to provide".rnSUPER CAPTION: Jose Maria Aznar - Leader of the Partido Popular.rnrnIn the run-up to Sunday's general elections, opinion polls gave his centre-right Partido Popular party between six and eleven point lead over his nearest rival, current premier Felipe Gonzalez.rnrnAznar has had plenty to smile about during this election campaign - he knows he is closer now than ever before to winning.rnrnSeen here with his wife Ana Botella campaigning in Zaragoza, Aznar has already had the first taste of success when his party swept to victory in municipal elections last year.rnrnThis time round Aznar's electoral programme - which his critics say is too vague - includes tough austerity measures to reactivate the economy. rnrnSpain is crippled by a huge budget deficit (3.15 billion pesetas, 6.7 per cent of GDP) and the highest level of unemployment in Europe (over 3.5 million unemployed). rnrnThe PP is promising to cut taxation, without eating into welfare spending, create jobs and crack down on terrorism.rnrnWhen Aznar became leader of the Partido Popular in 1989 some wrote him off as being too dull to ever become prime minister of Spain - with an electoral programme to match. Yet voters seem to think his remedies are exactly what the country needs right now.rnrnSOUNDBITE: (English)rnHe's quite a sober man, a serious man - he's a former tax inspector, a lawyer, he says Spain has had enough of charisma - that's a dig at Felipe Gonzalez who's a much-vaunted charismatic leader. He's a solid family man, he's presenting slightly dull values but they're very much those 80s values that we saw in England and in the States, get the economy in shape and the rest will follow. You only have to look at him in his pin-stripe suits to see that the image he's portraying is that of the good accountant, thernsteady administrator, not the epitome of everybody's dreams but somebody who can lick the country into shape which he thinks is very necessary.rnSUPER CAPTION: Adela Gooch - Economist correspondent in SpainrnrnThere are a million new voters in Spain - many of whom feel the Partido Popular encapsulates the generational shift which can bring about change.rnrnSOUNDBITE:(Spanish)rnPeople are really fed up with everything that's going on, the students, people of all classes....things aren't going well, the system has to change because otherwise I don't see us moving forward.rnSUPER CAPTION: Vox pop - university studentrnrnrnSOUNDBITE: (Spanish)rnAbove all we have an administration, a system which doesn't work and the average citizen is quite angry about this.rnrnrnrnrnrnrnYou can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/141a884c18abf9afa11297f0b702f7bc rnFind out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Less
