The president is proposed by the king and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections. The 350 members of the Congress of Deputies are elected by a mixed system of party lists and proportional representation within multi-member constituencies and by simple majority vote within single member constituencies. All members are elected to four-year terms.
All members serve four-year terms.
These attacks have been perceived as an attempt to create a climate of fear before the March 12 general election. A second ETA bombing killed Socialist politician Fernando Buesa and his bodyguard Jorge Diaz in Vitoria on February 22nd. The two main left-wing parties in Spain have formed an electoral pact aimed at ousting the ruling popular Party. The Socialist Party and the United Left Coalition have agreed to jointly support the Socialist leader, Joaquin Alumnia, for prime minister if they win more seats than the Popular Party.