The Spanish parliament has passed a package of government-backed austerity measures by the narrowest of margins - just one vote - with the political fallout potentially leading to early elections.
A minority Socialist government headed by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero managed to squeak the result through a dubious legislature on Thursday (27 May), thanks in part to the abstention of the Catalan Convergència i Unió party (CiU).
Spanish finance minister Elena Salgado defended the plans in front of MPs, saying the measures were "painful but unavoidable". They include a five percent cut in civil servant pay from next month, a pension freeze and reductions in public investment spending.
For more: EUobserver / Zapatero squeaks austerity package through parliament
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