US embassy cable - 04MADRID2210

C O N F I D E N T I A L MADRID 002210 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/13/2014 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, SP, European Union, Popular Party, PSOE - Socialist Party 
SUBJECT: SPANISH EU ELECTIONS: SOUR VICTORY, SWEET DEFEAT 
 
Classified By: Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Political Counselor, for Reasons 1 
.4 (b) and (d) 
 
1. (U) The Socialist Party (PSOE) won Spain's EU 
Parliamentary elections on June 13, but by a smaller margin 
than expected, 43% to 41%.  The two-point difference offers 
something positive to both major parties, though the Popular 
Party probably comes away with the moral victory.  The 
Socialists will have 25 seats and the Popular Party 23. 
Minor parties will have a total of 6 seats. 
 
2. (SBU) The Socialists will use even this narrow win to 
reaffirm their victory in the March 14 general elections and 
to try to demonstrate that their capture of the government 
was not just a result of the March 11 terrorist attacks in 
Madrid.  Socialists also see a positive sign in that they won 
despite a record low voter turnout (which at 46% was the 
lowest voter participation in any election since the 
restoration of democracy in Spain in 1977, hindered yesterday 
as elections took place on a glorious Spring day and just 
after Spain's victory over Russia in the Euro Cup soccer game 
the night before) and marked the first time the Socialists 
have won an election that had less than 55% participation. 
Though not the ringing endorsement the PSOE had hoped for a 
few weeks ago, they definitely welcome the win. 
 
3. (SBU) The Popular Party sees the close loss as a sign that 
their party is on the way back and that they have weathered 
the fallout from the Aznar government's support for the Iraq 
war.  Polls released before the election had forecast the 
Socialists winning by 6 to 9 percent, building upon the 
PSOE's 5-point win in the general elections.  The Popular 
Party succeeded in reversing the trend and shaved the 
Socialist margin by more than half.  The hope among the 
Popular Party is that this is proof that the Iraq issue is on 
its last legs, and that once the political focus returns to 
issues such as the economy, terrorism and the growing 
nationalist movements, the Popular Party is well poised to 
regain power. 
 
4. (C) Comment: With this election behind them, the ruling 
Socialists have the opportunity to get out of campaign mode, 
which was heavy on anti-U.S. policy rhetoric.  Since coming 
into power, the Socialists have been trying to contrast 
themselves from what they describe as the overly pro-U.S. 
policies of the Aznar government.  This anti-U.S. bent even 
affected such issues as Spain's representation at the funeral 
services for President Reagan.  A contact at MFA told us that 
the government had to send the President of the Senate, 
Javier Rojo, "kicking and screaming" as Spain's 
representative because none of the higher-ranking Socialist 
officials in the Zapatero government wanted to attend. 
MANZANARES