Business leader calls for early elections in Spain due to economic crisis

It was the first time during the economic crisis that a prominent figure outside the political opposition suggested early polls might be the only way for Spain to tackle its problems.

If the government could not agree on economic measures, “they're not equipped to deal with the situation and it would be advisable to bring forward general elections,” Juan Ramon Quintas, head of Spain's savings bank association, told radio station Cadena Ser.

Quintas is also an influential figure on Spain's political and financial scene.
Analysts increasingly suggest that Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero will fail both to take effective measures to address poor competitiveness and deteriorating government finances, and also to survive till elections are due in 2012.

Government-sponsored talks between unions and business to find ways to make Spain more competitive have broken down, with businesses arguing that hiring and firing must be made cheaper and unions threatening to strike if workers' benefits are cut.

Spain has the highest unemployment in Europe and a budget deficit heading for 10 percent of gross domestic product. Zapatero won 43.8 percent of votes in the March 2008 general election, but his popularity has slipped as Spain battles its worst economic crisis since the 1930s Civil War.