- MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Friday announced early general elections in November, scheduling the race four months earlier than anticipated to give his Socialist Party a better chance to stay in power amid growing outrage over the nation's economic woes.
Zapatero set the election date for Nov. 20 even though he was not required to call elections until March and had resisted repeated calls by the conservative opposition for early polling.
"I want a new government to take control of the economy from January 1st next year," said Zapatero, who announced earlier this year he would not seek a third term.
"It is convenient to hold elections this fall so a new government can take charge of the economy in 2012, fresh from the balloting," he said.