José María Aznar
José María Aznar López (born in Madrid, Spain on February 25, 1953) has been the Prime Minister of Spain (officially, "president of the Spanish government") since 1996.
As a teenager, he was a Falangist (member of an ultra-conservative, pro-Franco group). He studied law, and then became an inspector for the Spanish Tax Authority. He entered Conservative party Alianza Popular ("People's Alliance"). He was elected to the presidency of Autonomous Community of Castile-Leon. His success earned him the trust of the Galician caudillo Manuel Fraga, who appointed him as his heir. Aznar conducted the refoundation of AP as Partido Popular ("People's Party"), aiming to the political center.
On April 19, 1995, ETA made an assassination attempt on Aznar, but he survived the attack thanks to his armored car. A female passerby was killed in the blast however.
After a bitter campaign against the corruption scandals of Felipe González's PSOE, ruling since 1982, Aznar's PP achieved a plurality, becoming the ruling party with the votes of nationalist parties CiU, PNV and Coalición Canaria.
He moved the PP from the Conservative group in the European Parliament to the Christian-democratic European People's Party. His protegé Alejandro Agag succeeded changing the Demochristian International into the Center Democrat International.
Aznar was re-elected with a majority in 2000 and has declared he will not opt for a third mandate, so opening the question of his succession in PP.
He has actively encouraged and supported American president Bush's international policies and the US attack on Iraq in 2003, even though more than ninety-one percent of the Spanish population was against the war (including some PP members). Despite this and other political issues (such as the Prestige oil disaster), during the local elections in 2003 his party conserved most of the popular support.
He is a friend of Italian Silvio Berlusconi and Britain's Tony Blair. He is married to Ana Botella with two sons and a daughter, Ana Aznar Botella, married to Alejandro Agag in 2002 in a ceremony which resembled more the wedding of a head of state than that of a member of the prime minister's family.
His critics deride him as a man without charisma; because of his moustache they liken him to Franco, Adolf Hitler and Charlie Chaplin.
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