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  Pakistan Times

MADRID (Spain): The bombs in Madrid have cost the Spanish government its hold on power - they have conceded defeat to opposition Socialists in the general elections.

The government of Jose Maria Aznar was judged on its response to the atrocity, in which 200 people died, and its support for the war in Iraq. Speaking after the victory, Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said his priority is to combat terrorism.

Official results from Spain's general elections show the opposition Socialist Party leading the ruling Popular Party by 43.1% to 37.1%. The figures are based on results after 77% of the votes were counted, Reuters news agency reported.

According to figures, more than 62% of voters turned out for the elections - over seven percent more than the number in the last elections four years ago.

Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar and his appointed successor, Mariano Rajoy, cast their ballots. Mr Aznar, who is retiring, stepped into a Madrid polling station with his tearful wife Ana Botella. As they left, Mr Aznar tried to make a declaration but was drowned out by cries of support from supporters and shouts of "manipulator" from opponents.

Elsewhere in the city, Rajoy faced similar cries from detractors, many of them youths, who yelled "Liar" and "You fascists are terrorists". The accusation stemmed from confusion over who was behind Thursday's blasts which killed 200 people and wounded 1,500.

The government initially blamed the Basque separatist group Eta but a video claiming the attacks in the name of al-Qaeda has now emerged. The video, which was being authenticated, said the bombings had been punishment for Spain's support of the US occupation of Iraq. Up to 7,000 demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday and accused the Popular Party (PP) of lying about who was responsible.

The Spanish electoral commission said it had filed a lawsuit on behalf of the party claiming that the protests constituted a bid to influence voters on the eve of the election. Eta has repeated its denial of responsibility for the attacks.