The Spanish ruling Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) on Sunday selected incumbent Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero as candidate for the 2008 general elections.
In a message to his party colleagues, Zapatero promised to use his next four-year term to defeat the armed separatist group ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom).
No other candidate ran against Zapatero at the meeting of PSOE party leaders and ministers in the town of Fuenlabra, close to Spain's capital Madrid.
Zapatero currently leads polls, but also has to defeat MarianoRajoy, chosen by the People's Party as their candidate in September.
How to fight ETA, which formally announced an end to its unilateral ceasefire in June, looks set to be the biggest issue in the campaign.
Zapatero said his other priorities will be boosting employment, improving social inclusion and changing Spain's energy balance.
The election, scheduled for March 9, will also choose new deputies for the nation's legislature. The prime minister is the leader of the party that has the most seats in the legislature.
Source: Xinhua
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