Suarez moves fail to appease UCD

CRitics of Spain's Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez are not at a loss for ammunition these days. The country's once- thriving economy is saddled with unemployment. Many government posts are still filled with General Franco holdovers.

To top it off, members of his ruling Democratic Center Union party (UCD) chide him for using the term "El Presidente" when he is actually prime minister.

So late last week, amid stagnation in the government and unprecedented rifts in the UCD, the cautious leader unveiled six Cabinet changes.

But the reshuffle stops far short of the thorough overhaul called for by the UCD's most democratic sectors, led by the Social Democrats. One result: When Mr. Suarez refused to remove his closest adviser as deputy prime minister of the economy, two Social Democratic ministers resigned.

The "aloof" Suarez latest troubles were sparked by his decision early this year to slow down Spain's regional autonomy program. Party discontent heightened after the UCD's drumming in March regional parliamentary elections.

Perhaps the government's chief disappointment, however, is its failure to excite the electorate about the new democratic process. Fully 40 percent of the voters have stayed away from the polls since last year's general election.