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Rajoy approved as Aznar successor
MADRID, Spain -- Spain's ruling Popular Party has voted overwhelmingly for deputy premier Mariano Rajoy to succeed Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as its candidate in general elections in March next year. Delegates to a meeting of the party's governing body voted in favor of Rajoy with 503 votes, Aznar said. One paper was blank and no delegates voted against. CNN's Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman reported Saturday that, after months of speculation, Aznar had chosen Rajoy to succeed him. The center-right party's national directorate held a secret ballot Monday after Aznar had handed over the reins of power in the party to Rajoy in an emotional speech. Aznar, 50, was first elected in 1996 and then re-elected in 2000. He said more than a year ago that he would not run for a third term, setting off increasingly intense speculation as to which trusted aide would lead the party forward. Aznar intends to serve out his term, through to the elections. Rajoy, 48, has been the first deputy prime minister since 2000, and previously held other cabinet portfolios under Aznar. His political fortunes have been tied to Aznar's for years. He will head the party's election campaign and take over as party secretary-general. In his maiden speech as party candidate, Rajoy pledged to push ahead with the policies that the center-right PP has followed under Aznar since it came to power in 1996, including a tough line against Basque separatist guerrilla group ETA. "It is my will ... not to spare any effort to fight against terrorism," he said. Speaking earlier, Aznar said that his handover of power to Rajoy would not be half-hearted. "This is not a succession by halves, but a handover with all of its consequences.
From today ... I want to say very clearly that the leader of the Popular Party is called Mariano Rajoy," Aznar said, occasionally wiping his eyes during a speech that was received with sustained applause by the party faithful. The main opposition Socialist Party has criticized Aznar for naming his successor in what it described as a regal manner rather than first holding party primaries to let the rank and file conservatives decide among the candidates. Two other key conservative candidates for the post were Rodrigo Rato, the second deputy prime minister, who also holds the position of economy minister; and the former interior minister Jaime Mayor Oreja. A government-run poll last week put the ruling conservatives ahead of the Socialists. At least one previous poll, for the SER radio network, had said the Socialist candidate, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, would beat the various conservative candidates, except Rajoy. Aznar has faced mounting criticism in the last year -- from opposition parties and from large street protests -- for his government's handling of the huge oil spill from the tanker Prestige off of northwest Spain last November, and for his support of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, when opinion polls showed up to 90 percent of Spaniards opposed the war. Spain has just placed 1,300 combat-trained peacekeeping troops in Iraq, patrolling a section south of Baghdad. -- CNN's Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman contributed to this report
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