I doubt it was fear. The Spanish have never been a cowardly people. I think disfavour is more likely.

If you search through the older posts you will find much debate on this issue.

Facts:
- opinion polls before the election suggested that the ruling party would be returned to power with a small majority
- bombing occurred 2 days before election
- the ruling party immediately blamed ETA for the bombings despite no proof
- Spanish population were extremely angry about this and accusations of trying to use it for political gain were all over the TV and papers the day before the election

Opinion:
While opinion polls can get it wrong, most people agree that the Spanish people did change their minds in the two days before the election. This change is therefore likely to be linked to the bombing. Whether it was because of the bombing itself or because of the Spanish governments attempt to use it to vindicate their ETA stance is unknown. Considering the TV reports and iterviews that were being seen on the news the night before and the day of the election I believe the latter.

I recall seeing the Spanish foreign minister being asked why the government blames ETA when the police are already saying they beieve it was Islamists. Behind her in Madrid the streets were full of millions of Spaniards showing solidarity. Some were holding up placards asking why. She replied with utter certainty that it was ETA and that the government policy was justified. In response to the statement that the police already were saying it was muslims, she responded that she has already talked to the police and that ETA is probably linked to Al Queda. It was an awful attempt to use the deaths of Spanish people top justify their political actions. The Spanish people punished them for that.

paul.

... wow, but it is amazing how american TV played it... I have to find this thread!

There are seveal threads, varying from sympathy to total animosity toward Spain. I fell right in the middle.

The bombing wasn't as much as an issue to me as the guy that won the election. He was patently anti-US, and bomb or not he was going to do all he could to gain EU favor by smearing the US and snuggle-butting with our most-vocal opposition there.

For me the bombing was never an issue. I doubt it really influenced the election very much.

I fell on the animosity side.  If there is a major terrorist attack on the US just before the US election, it will be my opinion that some of the blood will be on the Spanish electorate's hands.

Regardless of the debates on WHY the Spanish changed their votes, the reality is that the terrorists concluded that terrorist attacks could affect the election with their preferred candidate to win.

At the end of the day, who do you think Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein would prefer to win?