Spain's devout first lady to run for office

Ana Botella, the wife of Spain's Prime Minister, Jose Maria Aznar, entered the political arena yesterday by announcing she would stand as a candidate in Madrid's municipal elections in May.

"I want to devote my time and enthusiasm to this task," she told a meeting of the ruling Popular Party (PP) in Madrid. "I am entering politics to dedicate my efforts to the citizens, especially those who need better opportunities to overcome inequalities," she said, carefully reading every word.

The PP hopes Ms Botella's well-prepared sortie will revive the party's flagging fortunes just as her husband's star appears to be waning. Mr Aznar has announced he will stand down when his second term ends in 2004, and his government has been seriously damaged by its handling of the Prestige disaster.

But Ms Botella's project carries risks. Known for her conservative views and devout Catholicism, she has never held public office. Nor has she professional experience. A law graduate, she gave up her civil service job after marrying Mr Aznar 28 years ago.

Ms Botella, 49, has long been a PP member and campaigned effectively for her husband in general elections without seeking to steal his limelight. But Hillary Clinton she is not, despite attempts by supporters to draw parallels with the former US president's wife.

Ms Botella is interested in charitable works and social affairs, areas of public life traditionally patronised by upper-class Spanish women. Sceptics wonder how well she will engage with the problems of Madrid's homeless in the city's shantytowns, where conditions resemble the Third World.

She appears more outgoing than her low-key husband but is no champion of the dispossessed like that other "first lady" who became a political leader, Eva Peron. Carmen Romero, the wife of Spain's former Socialist leader Felipe Gonzalez, may prove a more likely role model. Ms Romero became a regional politician in Andalucia after her husband quit public life.

The invitation for Ms Botella to enter politics came from Alberto Ruiz Gallardon, who is running for mayor of Madrid in May. Mr Gallardon, a well-liked politician, invited Ms Botella last autumn to join his electoral list with responsibility for social affairs.

The approach was a shrewd one. The battle for Madrid suddenly become a high-profile contest when the opposition Socialists unexpectedly pitched a woman, Trinidad Jimenez, as candidate to replace the stuffy outgoing conservative mayor, Jose Maria Alvarez del Manzano. Mr Gallardon was hastily appointed Ms Jimenez's challenger, and his signing of Ms Botella is designed to woo the female vote that Ms Jimenez wants to attract.

Ms Botella launches her political career with her husband still in power, which gives her a clear advantage. But one commentator remarked yesterday: "The moon reflects the sun. It has no light of its own. Let's see if the moon shines on after the sun has gone."