21 May 2011 Last updated at 10:05

In pictures: Spanish protests

Demonstrators fill up Madrid's Puerta del Sol, 21 May 2011

Some 25,000 demonstrators have gathered in Madrid's Puerta del Sol, defying a government ban imposed a day before local elections.

A demonstrator plays the guitar at the Sol Square Camp, 21 May 2011

The demonstrators are protesting against austerity measures as the government tries to recover its troubled economy.

Demonstrators raise their hands as they shout slogans during a protest at Puerto del Sol square, Madrid, 20 May 2011

Despite fears from some quarters of a possible police crackdown, the government has suggested it would not enforce the ban. Interior Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said the police were "not going to resolve one problem by creating another".

A demonstrator sleeps beside a banner that it reads "From Madrid to Heaven" at Puerto del Sol square, Madrid, 20 May 2011

Hundreds are camped out in the square wrapped in sleeping bags or blankets. When the ban came into force at midnight, correspondents said there was a moment's silence, before the square erupted in cheers.

Demonstrators listen to a speaker in La Constitucion square, during a protest in Malaga, southern Spain, 20 May 2011.

Political rallies are banned under Spanish law on the day before elections to allow for a "day of reflection". On Sunday, Spaniards will elect 8,116 city councils and 13 out of 17 regional governments.

A demonstrator holds flowers during continued protest at Puerto del Sol square, Madrid, 20 May 2011

Polls suggest that Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s ruling Socialist party will be handed a heavy defeat.

Demonstrators with paper hats that read "enough" shout slogans at Puerto del Sol square, Madrid, 20 May 2011

Spain pulled out of recession at the start of last year but the economy has not yet gained momentum. The country's 21% unemployment rate is the highest in the EU.

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In pictures: Spanish protests

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