Spain's current president, Jose Luís Rodriguez Zapatero, announced the other day that he will not run for re-election this upcoming March. It is no shock the Socialist party leader doesn't want to sign up for four more years in charge of this dismal economy. Spain does not have any legal limitations on how many terms a person can serve, but Zapatero is wrapping up his eighth year in office.
Zapatero has decided to leave office in an attempt to salvage future prospects for the Partido Socialista Obrero Español amidst the economic crisis. Local elections take place in May and federal elections are in March. Should be interesting to see how it all turns out.
Even though he is entering a lame duck period, Zapatero already passed enough legislature to last for the next ten years really. From legalizing same sex marriage and expressing divorce procedures to cracking down on tobacco and regulating immigration, Zapatero's hands were very busy signing bill after bill back when he was first inaugurated. He was the champion of the Left -- bringing lots of reforms to the country, winning him support from the youth and other groups.
The grave economic crisis in Spain caused Zapatero to do a complete 180 in some of his policies. With globalization on his mind, the same man who ordered the troops to come back from Iraq on his first day in office just sent planes over to Libya. The country could no longer fund his grand plans to take care of the eldery nor his education gifts to single mothers. As unemployment rates rose, his popularity sunk.
It seems to me that it is impossible for a president to be popular in a time of economic downturn, regardless of the country or situation. Even though Zapatero has faced many hardships in recent years, I think it's important to remember the good times he had as president as well.
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