Spaniards protest before the elections despite prohibiting

MADRID - hundreds of young Spaniards camped in Madrid and other cities Saturday, defying a ban on demonstrations in the run up to local elections to protest against high unemployment and austerity.

The number of demonstrators, nicknamed "los indignados" (outraged), was expected to swell in the evening, after 25,000 people crammed into the main square in Madrid Friday evening.

Demonstrators also gathered in Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Bilbao and other cities, as they have been all week, urging people not to vote for the two main parties the Spain Socialist decision or the opposition centre-right party popular in Sunday local elections.

Fearing violent clashes, the Socialist Government did not apply a ban, which came into force at midnight and prohibition of political events on the eve of the elections.

"I am protestant because I have no future in Spain employment even if I completed my diploma in tourism," said 25 - year - old Inma Moreno, on plaza de Puerta del Sol in Madrid. "This should make politicians aware that something is not good."

The Socialists, blamed for their management of the economic crisis, should suffer major losses in the elections for Councils of city 8,116 and 13 of the 17 regional governments.

Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, who has failed to contain the highest rate of unemployment in the European Union to 21.3% said that it complies with the demonstrators.

PATIENCE IS RUNNING

So far the Spaniards have been patient with austerity measures and a 45 percent youth unemployment rate, but demonstrators have captured the frustration on the prolonged economic malaise.

"We knew that something like this would happen eventually." The Spain policy was not very convincing, with all the effects of the crisis, something was to happen, said sociologist Fermin Bouza of the Complutense University.

Spain withdrew from recession early last year, but the economy has failed to take the serious magnitude and unemployment has had always above.

Government borrowing costs have risen as investors see a risk that slow growth will make it impossible for the Spain reduce its deficit, setting perhaps for a financial crisis and rescue, as in Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Protests have roiled with Spaniards of all ages, including those who remember unrest that has swept much of Europe more than 40 years ago.

"I saw the protests in May 1968 and it is a similar youth movement which was out in the streets, said Javier Gutierrez, an engineer along with his wife."

Despite attracting huge media attention, analysts said that the protests would change the outcome of Sunday's election, except to further the Socialist defeat motivate some people to vote for the smaller parties left.

"You have a very marginal effect, unless there is a kind of outbreak of violence over the weekend, which I doubt, said Fernando Fernandez, an analyst of IE Business School.".