Aznar under scrutiny over immigration issue

Almeria - The promise by the Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, to use the absolute majority he won in Sunday's election…

Almeria - The promise by the Spanish Prime Minister, Mr Jose Maria Aznar, to use the absolute majority he won in Sunday's election "to govern for all Spaniards" has come under question almost immediately on the very divisive topic of immigration, writes Paddy Woodworth

The spokesman for Mr Aznar's Partido Popular (PP) executive committee, Mr Rafael Hernando, said on Monday that one of the PP's first moves in parliament would be to tighten up Spain's relatively liberal legislation in this area.

Mr Hernando was elected on Sunday for the province of Almeria, which last month saw one of Spain's worst outbreaks of racist rioting. The PP mayor of El Ejido, where the rioting occurred, has said that the solution lies in drastically limiting immigration.

This proposal pits the PP against all other parties. The most recent immigration law was passed during the PP's previous minority administration, with only the PP voting against - one of the few defeats that administration suffered.