José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, and opposition leader Mariano Rajoy went head-to-head on Monday night in a televised electoral debate in which the economy took centre stage.

The two-hour exchange was the first debate of its type in Spain since 1993, and the first of two planned as the country prepares to go to the polls on March 9. Voters have the choice of another four years of Mr Zapatero’s progressive Socialist government, or a return to the conservative Popular party that ruled the country between 1996-2004.