MADRID-ROME: The Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, the third man on the international stage beside George Bush and Tony Blair in the run-up to war, was staring at political disaster on March 28 as anti-war demonstrations spread and opinion polls revealed 91 per cent of Spaniards against the war.

Madrid, Barcelona and other cities resounded to the noise of people beating pots and pans out of their windows on Thursday night in the latest of a series of anti-war demonstrations that have also seen violence between police and protesters.

The scale of opposition to war has forced the People’s Party government on to the defensive. Mr Aznar has not dared to back his pro-Bush stance before the war with combat troops. Even the sending of 900 troops for “humanitarian work” has provoked fury of the anti-war camp.

The most recently published opinion poll on attitudes to war, by the state’s own official pollsters, showed 91 per cent opposition. Recent polls of voting intention show that, over two months, the People’s Party has gone from running neck-and-neck with the anti-war socialists to trailing them by six points. A clear majority of people now expect the socialists to win next year’s election.

The government has responded by saying it is thinking “not of future elections but of future generations.”

Mr Aznar’s one-time political mentor, Felix Pastor, a former party president who still sits on its ruling committee, on Friday broke ranks to accuse him of destroying the years of hard work put into creating a moderate, centre-right party.

“The idea of a moderate, humanitarian, Christian People’s party has been blown away,” he told El Mundo newspaper. “The Spanish people have the right to expect their government to keep them away from all wars ... Bush’s policies are so detestable that we should keep well away.”

His words followed a slow drip-drip of resignations that include a former minister and several lower ranking party members.

Ministers are now shadowed by groups of protesters. People’s party offices up and down the country are being vandalised or plastered with anti-war graffiti.

In Italy, the government is facing political repercussions after 1,000 US paratroopers landed in northern Iraq on Wednesday having set off from a US base at Vicenza. Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi had promised that Italy would not be used as a launching pad for attacks on Iraq. Italy officially supports the allies and has offered its military bases and air space for US military use but not in direct attacks.—Dawn/The Guardian News Service