Spanish PM heckled at military parade

Madrid – Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, whose popularity has fallen in the midst of a deep recession, was heckled on Monday at a military parade in Madrid.

Spectators shouted "resign" and "out" as Zapatero arrived at the event which was also attended by the Spanish royal family, an AFP photographer reported.

Around 4,200 servicemen marched through the Spanish capital on Monday during the parade.

A poll on Monday in the pro-government newspaper Publico showed 43 percent of those quizzed supporting the conservative opposition Popular Party (PP), with only 38 percent saying they would vote for the premier’s ruling Socialists.

A total of 3,202 people were questioned for the survey between 16 September and 7 October.

Spain entered recession in late 2008 and is taking longer to recover than some other EU states, such as France and Germany.

The country’s National Statistics Institute has put the unemployment rate at 17.92 percent, the highest in the European Union and twice the eurozone average.

The parade on Monday took place as debate raged in the country about the presence of Spanish troops in Afghanistan after a Spanish soldier was killed a few days ago when his vehicle was hit by a bomb.

AFP / Expatica