The ghost of the sunken tanker Prestige came back to haunt Spanish Prime Minister Mr Jose Maris Aznar today when an opinion poll revealed significant gains by the opposition and a slump in popularity for the government since the disaster.
The Socialist Party (PSOE) has clawed its way back into political contention since the fuel oil began washing up on the coast of northwest Spain and now lurks within just three percentage points of Mr Aznar's ruling Partido Popular (PP), the poll showed.
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A poster of Jose Maria Aznar appears covered by fuel oil in Galicia.
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According to the survey, published in the right-leaning Spanish daily
El Mundo
, the PSOE would get nearly 39 percent of the vote, with the PP just ahead with nearly 42 percent, if an election were held tomorrow.
It is the PSOE's best showing in a poll since 1996.
There was more bad news for Mr Aznar in the survey, the first since the Prestige broke up off the coast of Galicia and started spewing heavy fuel oil onto the coastline.
It showed the government's popularity had also been blackened by the disaster, with nearly a quarter of Spaniards saying they had "a poor view" of the government as opposed to just 19 percent disapproving last month.
The poll, for which 1,000 people were questioned, was evidence that there was some substance to allegations that the Spanish government had made a political gaffe by underestimating the economic, environmental and psychological consequences of the disaster. On Saturday a contrite Mr Aznar went to La Coruna in Galicia to apologise for errors committed in the handling of the disaster, but all he got was a barrage of eggs.
The Spanish leader had justified delaying his appearance by saying he was not simply after cheap photo opportunities and that he felt he was of more use elsewhere.
AFP