Under Zapatero's leadership, the party regained some of the popularity it had lost in the late 1990s, and consequently the party's hold of seats in both the municipal and the regional elections of 2003 remarkably increased.
Under Zapatero's leadership, the party regained some of the popularity it had lost in the late 1990s by making electoral promises regarding a more progressive social policy. Consequently, the party's hold of seats in both the municipal and the regional elections of 2003 remarkably increased.