King Juan Carlos dissolved Spain's parliament last night, ending eight years of rightwing government by the prime minister, José María Aznar, and sounding the starting gun for a March general election.
The exit of Mr Aznar, who has kept his promise not to run for more than two consecutive terms of office, will be a loss to both Tony Blair and George Bush, for whom he has been a close European ally.
The Guardian - Aznar hangs up his legislative boots