Spanish socialists suffer election losses

[WestVirginiaRebel]

BBC:

Spain's governing Socialists party has suffered heavy losses in local and regional elections, early results show.

With 91% of municipal votes counted, the centre-right Popular Party (PP) had almost a 10-percentage point lead, the interior ministry said.

Voting took place amid mass protests against high unemployment and the government's handling of the economy.

Demonstrators holding sit-ins in Madrid and other cities said rallies would continue for another week.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero conceded his party had been resoundingly defeated but said he had no intention of calling early general elections.

He said three years of economic crisis had taken their toll.

"It destroyed thousands of jobs. It is a crisis that had profound effects on citizens' morale. I know that many Spaniards suffer great hardship and fear for their futures," he said.

"Today, without doubt, they expressed their discontent," he added.
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Related: The next generation in revolt.