Zapatero government into office on 17 April. Zapatero's first cabinet was composed mainly by members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and its sister party, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), as well as a number of independents. It succeeded the second Aznar government. The Council of Ministers was structured into the Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, 16 ministries and the post of Spokesperson of the Government. The second Zapatero government was the government of Spain from 14 April 2008 to 22 December 2011, a total of days, or . Zapatero was elected Prime Minister by the Congress of Deputies
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero the American policy in regard to Iraq pursued by Prime Minister Aznar. During the electoral campaign Zapatero promised to withdraw the troops if control in Iraq was not passed to the United Nations after 30 June (the ending date of the initial Spanish military agreement with the multinational coalition that had overthrown Saddam Hussein). Zapatero declared that he did not intend to withdraw the Spanish troops before that date after being questioned about the issue by the People's Party's leader Mariano Rajoy in his inauguration parliamentary debate as Prime Minister. On 19 April 2004 Zapatero announced the withdrawal of the