Aznar, José Maria (1953– )

Spanish politician, prime minister 1996–2004. He became premier of the Castile-León region in 1987. Elected leader of the right-of-centre Popular Party (PP) in 1989, Aznar and the PP lost to the ruling Social Workers' Party (PSOE) in the elections of 1989 and 1993. A minority PP government headed by Aznar was installed in 1996. He was outspoken in his support of the US-led Iraq War in 2003, despite overwhelming public disapproval. His party's defeat in the 2004 elections was widely attributed to public anger at the government's reaction to the terrorist bombings in Madrid, in March 2004, that killed around 200 people.

When the PSOE lost its parliamentary majority in March 1996, the ensuing general election produced an inconclusive result. After months of abortive negotiations with other parties, Aznar formed a minority PP government, pledging to restore Spain as a credible European power.