In elections held three days after the bombings, voters elected the opposition Socialists and unseated a pro-US government that had sent 1,300 peacekeepers to Iraq.
Many Spaniards blamed that administration for the attack, saying it had made their country a target for terrorists.
The Socialists quickly brought the troops home.
The conservatives in turn charged that the Socialist election victory was a fluke born of the tragedy, not a legitimate win.
The Association of March 11 Victims has criticized both sides, saying they worried only about themselves and political gain and did not care about the victims of the attacks.



