Zapatero will not seek a third term in office

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has said he will not seek a third term in office after parliamentary elections due next year.



Zapatero, whose popularity is at an all-time low, said it was the right decision for the country, his centre-left Socialist party and his family.



He became Prime Minister in 2004 in the wake of the Madrid train bombings.

Spain's economy was booming then. It has since suffered a deep recession, and unemployment is at 20 percent.



Zapatero said he would stand down as party leader when a successor had been chosen.



That process through a series of 'primaries' will begin after local elections on May 22.