January 11, 2007

Abstract: (Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer Spaniards are satisfied with the performance of their president, according to a poll by Instituto Opina released by Cadena Ser. 49.7 per cent of respondents approve of the performance of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, down 4.7 points since mid-December.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Fewer Spaniards are satisfied with the performance of their president, according to a poll by Instituto Opina released by Cadena Ser. 49.7 per cent of respondents approve of the performance of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, down 4.7 points since mid-December.

Zapatero—of the Socialist Worker's Party (PSOE)—was sworn in as president of the government in April 2004, following his party's victory in the legislative ballot. The conservative Popular Party (PP) had administered the government under José María Aznar since 1996.

Support increased for current PP leader Mariano Rajoy. 35.7 per cent of respondents approve of the opposition leader's performance, up 5.2 points since mid-December.

In March 2006, armed group Basque Motherland and Liberty (ETA) announced a "permanent ceasefire" and urged the "authorities in Spain and France" to "approach the issue in a positive manner, and leave repression aside." ETA has killed more than 840 people since 1959, in the fight to form an independent state encompassing the Spanish regions of Navarra and the Basque Country, as well as areas in southwestern France.

On Dec. 30, a car bomb exploded inside Madrid's Barajas International Airport. While ETA had telephoned authorities three times to report the attack, two people who were not evacuated from the T4 terminal lost their lives.

Yesterday, Rajoy said he would ask for the revocation of a proposal backed by the Congress which allowed the government to seek a dialogue with ETA. Interior minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba expressed dismay, saying, "This would mark the first time that the legislature goes back on a resolution because of a bomb. ETA should not set the agenda, or abolish resolutions."

Polling Data

Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero as president?

	Jan. 4	Dec. 12	Nov. 30
Approve	49.7%	54.4%	51.9%
Disapprove	42.5%	38.3%	40.2%

Do you approve or disapprove of the performance of Mariano Rajoy as opposition leader?

	Jan. 4	Dec. 12	Nov. 30
Approve	35.7%	30.5%	31.7%
Disapprove	57.2%	63.8%	61.9%

Source: Instituto Opina / Cadena Ser
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Spanish adults, conducted on Jan. 4, 2007. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.