73-668: Felipe González PSOE José María Aznar PP The 1996 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 3 March 1996, to elect the 6th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain . All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 257 seats in the Senate . Ever since forming a minority government after its victory in the 1993 election , the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) had been rocked by
146-413: A snap election , provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no state of emergency was in force and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one. Additionally, both chambers were to be dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process failed to elect a prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot. Barred this exception, there
219-652: A ' dirty war ' against ETA in the 1983–87 period and thought to be secretly financed by the Socialist government. Initially thought to be acting independently, they confessed on 16 December 1994 to judge Baltasar Garzón that a number of former police and Interior Ministry officers were also involved in the GAL, showing evidence supporting their claims. Among those were former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo (1982–88), State Security Directors Julián Sancristóbal (1984–86) and Rafael Vera (1986–94), as well as former Secretary-General of
292-401: A comprehensive welfare state was established, while improvements were made to social programmes such as pensions and unemployment benefits. A 40-hour workweek was introduced, while entitlement to paid holidays was extended to up to 30 days per year. Pension funds were also established, together with provisions for social tourism. In addition, the school-leaving age was raised from 14 to 16, while
365-571: A general election since the Communist Party of Spain (PCE)'s results in 1979 . At 156 seats, this would be the worst performance for a winning party in the democratic period until the PP's result in the 2015 election . As a consequence of the election result, Aznar was forced to tone down his attacks to Catalan and Basque nationalists in order to garner their support for his investiture. After two months of negotiations, agreements were reached with CiU,
438-573: A group called GAL was active as a gangster-style force targeting etarras (ETA members). Several innocent people were killed and the subsequent investigations ended with some police officers and the Minister of Internal Affairs, José Barrionuevo, condemned to jail. The Constitutional Court later ratified the sentence. Among successful operations were the capture of the ETA central arsenal and archives in Sokoa (France) and
511-483: A large majority in the Congress of Deputies, popularly known as "the roller" ( Spanish : el rodillo ), González's election was met with tremendous expectation of change amongst Spaniards. Under his government universal and free education provision was extended from age 14 to age 16, university education was reformed and expanded, the social security system was extended and a partial legalisation of abortion became law for
584-464: A large real estate assets, since assuming office in 1986, which contrasted with his net annual income of 400,000 Pta. Roldán then denounces a media campaign against him and defends the money is of legal origin, but proves unable to show evidence supporting his claims. The accusations lead to his dismissal by the government on 3 December. On 9 March 1994, El Mundo reveals that officers from the Ministry of
657-473: A mediator in the dialogue between Serbian government and the opposition, following the mass protests which have started over the alleged electoral fraud at the 1996 Serbian local elections . In 1997 he was considered a leading candidate to take over the position of President of the European Commission after Jacques Santer . The position ultimately went to Italy's Romano Prodi . In 1999 González
730-639: A report, by June 2010, on the challenges facing the European Union from 2020 to 2030, will also look at how to achieve a closer understanding between citizens and the Union. In December 2014, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos granted González Colombian nationality. From 2010 to 2015, González was appointed independent director in Gas Natural-Fenosa , one of the leading energy companies in Spain, being one of
803-550: A series of follow-on meetings, which according to some reports, came quite close, but failed to result in a peace treaty. In the fight against terrorism, an intense police campaign secured several victories that left the terrorist organisation ETA severely debilitated. In his earlier years ETA killings totalled dozens per year (the 1987 Hipercor bombing attack in Barcelona alone killed more than 10 people), while in his latter years ETA killed far fewer. During his time as Prime Minister
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#1732884916715876-586: A significant reversal in Spain's relations with Israel, with González even becoming the first Spanish head of state to visit Israel in December 1991. He had also previously visited Israel in the 1970s under an assumed name. Spain and Israel would establish diplomatic relations on 17 January 1986. Due to his prestige, Spain also hosted the Madrid Conference of 1991 peace talks between Palestinians and Israelis; these were chaired by President George H. W. Bush of
949-763: Is tending bonsai trees. During his tenure at Moncloa , he received and cultivated several of them, mostly Mediterranean species, that he later donated to the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid. His wife Mar García Vaquero is named in the Panama Papers scandal in 2016. Closed list Condorcet methods Positional voting Cardinal voting Quota-remainder methods Approval-based committees Fractional social choice Semi-proportional representation By ballot type Pathological response Strategic voting Paradoxes of majority rule Positive results Closed list describes
1022-551: Is very close, though, to the PSOE official line, as she served as head of the public TV broadcaster Televisión Española after appointment to the post by one of Gonzalez's cabinets. González ended his fourth term on 4 May 1996. Since September 1996 he has headed the Madrid-based Global Progress Foundation (FPG). At the beginning of the 34th PSOE National Congress on 20 June 1997 he surprisingly resigned as leader of
1095-520: The 1982 general election held on 28 October 1982, the PSOE gained 48.3% of the vote and 202 deputies (out of 350). On 2 December González became President of the Government of Spain , with Alfonso Guerra as his deputy. He was the first socialist to hold the post since the Spanish Civil War , and his government was the first since then in which none of its members had served under Francoism. With
1168-466: The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Canarian Coalition (CC), enabling for José María Aznar to become prime minister of a centre-right minority cabinet, marking the end of 13 + 1 ⁄ 2 years of Socialist government. The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than the Senate , having
1241-597: The CIA declassified information confirming that Felipe González had authorised the creation of the GAL. Left with no other suitable candidate, the party was again led by González and in the 1996 general election held on 3 March 1996, they gained 37.4% of the vote and 141 deputies. They lost the election to the People's Party whose leader José María Aznar replaced González as prime minister ( presidente in Spanish, not to be confused with
1314-622: The Cortes Generales —the Congress and the Senate—expired four years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election
1387-545: The European Economic Community (EEC) in 1986. González supported Spain remaining in NATO that same year in a referendum reversing his and the party's earlier anti-NATO position. On 29 October 1989, he won the 1989 general election with 39.6% of the vote and 175 seats, his third successive mandate. On 6 June 1993, González won the 1993 general election with 38.8% of the vote and 159 deputies. His fourth victory
1460-569: The Ibiza and Formentera in the Senate alliance for the Senate election. Felipe Gonz%C3%A1lez Felipe González Márquez ( Spanish pronunciation: [feˈlipe ɣonˈθaleθ ˈmaɾkeθ] ; born 5 March 1942) is a retired Spanish politician who was Prime Minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996 and leader of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. He is the longest-serving democratically-elected Prime Minister of Spain. González joined
1533-663: The 47 peninsular provinces was allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands , districts were the islands themselves, with the larger— Majorca , Gran Canaria and Tenerife —being allocated three seats each, and the smaller— Menorca , Ibiza – Formentera , Fuerteventura , La Gomera , El Hierro , Lanzarote and La Palma —one each. Ceuta and Melilla elected two seats each. Additionally, autonomous communities could appoint at least one senator each and were entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants. The term of each chamber of
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#17328849167151606-670: The Americas Award by the Inter-American Dialogue for his tireless, effective, and ongoing public service and commitment to democracy in Latin America. González married María del Carmen Julia Romero y López in Seville on 16 July 1969 and has three children: Pablo González Romero, David González Romero and María González Romero (lawyer). He divorced Carmen Romero in 2008. In 2012 he married Mar García Vaquero. One of his hobbies
1679-745: The Bank of Spain—and former Economy Minister Miguel Boyer had concealed from the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) that both of them possessed stock shares in Ibercorp and used them to amass a fortune. Rubio had denied the accusations in 1992, which nonetheless cost him his post. However, the new revelations in 1994, which resulted in his criminal prosecution, put Felipe González and former Economy Minister Carlos Solchaga —who had backed Rubio in 1992, believing his claims of innocence, and were also ultimately responsible for his naming to
1752-507: The Congress of Deputies, 348 seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation , with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Spain , with each being allocated an initial minimum of two seats and the remaining 248 being distributed in proportion to their populations. Ceuta and Melilla were allocated
1825-515: The English use of the term) on 4 or 5 May 1996. The Gonzalez government left behind a deep impact on the Spanish real economy, such as the expansion of the networks of highways and airports and the creation of new infrastructures, including high-speed rail in Spain . Gonzalez-led cabinets were the first to implement a national, comprehensive infrastructure program that included not only public works but theatres, museums, and secondary schools. In addition,
1898-470: The GAL. By 1996, however, the Spanish Supreme Court concluded that there was not proof of González's involvement and that the accusations were based on mere suspicions. Still, former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo and State Security Directors Rafael Vera and Julián Sancristóbal were convicted for the scandal. The tables below show the composition of the parliamentary groups in both chambers at
1971-655: The Interior had used money from the fondos reservados (Spanish for "reserved funds"), public funds destined to finance the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and not subject to publicity, justification or external oversight, to make bonus payments to high-ranking officers from the Ministry; Roldán name appeared among those accused of having received such payments. In April, Diario 16 and El Mundo revealed that former President of Navarre Gabriel Urralburu had collected millionary commissions from construction companies in
2044-588: The PSOE in Biscay Ricardo García Damborenea and a number of police officers accused of murder and embezzlement of public funds. Throughout early 1995, those accused except for Barrionuevo were arrested and court-questioned, leading to the 'GAL case' being re-opened by the Spanish National Court on 20 February in order to clarify whether the GAL were financed with money from the reserved funds. Barrionuevo accused Garzón, then instructing
2117-559: The PSOE in 1964 when it was banned under the Francoist regime . He obtained a law degree from the University of Seville in 1965. In 1974, the PSOE elected González as its Secretary-General after a split in its 26th Congress. He led the party through the Spanish transition to democracy , carrying it to a strong second-place finish in the 1977 general election , making the PSOE the main opposition to
2190-661: The United States and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev . The bilateral Israeli–Palestinian negotiations eventually led to the exchange of letters and the subsequent signing of the Oslo I Accord , on the lawn of the White House on 13 September 1993. The negotiations that emanated from the Madrid conference, led to the Israel–Jordan peace treaty in 1994. The Israeli–Syrian negotiations included
2263-504: The ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a prime minister and to override Senate vetoes by an absolute majority of votes. Nonetheless, the Senate possessed a few exclusive (yet limited in number) functions—such as its role in constitutional amendment —which were not subject to the Congress' override. Voting for the Cortes Generales was on the basis of universal suffrage , which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights. For
1996 Spanish general election - Misplaced Pages Continue
2336-414: The aftermath Sánchez announced talks with Podemos and Catalan separatist parties. González then supported Susana Diaz faction in a bitter internal struggle which ended with PSOE facilitating the investiture of the conservative government and the dismissal of Pedro Sánchez. In 2015 González traveled to Venezuela to support Leopoldo López and other imprisoned opposition leaders. His involvement came at
2409-410: The awarding of public works during his government, with Roldán having also benefitted from it. Evidence now pointed to Roldán having used his office to amass a fortune through fraudulent means , which led to Roldán fleeing the country and in incumbent Interior Minister Antoni Asunción , responsible for monitoring Roldán, resigning as a consequence. During his time missing, Roldán sent letters admitting
2482-405: The best known high-profile cases of revolving doors in Spanish politics. Since 2015 he has taken an active role in criticising the emerging party Podemos , which he considers a populist threat, and have actively lobbied the PSOE against approaching Podemos for any possible government coalition. González supported PSOE candidate Pedro Sánchez in the 2015 and 2016 general elections , but in
2555-617: The bicentenary celebrations in commemoration of the independence of Latin America. The celebrations will begin in September 2010 in Mexico. At a summit held in Brussels on 14 December 2007, heads of state and government of European Union member states appointed González chairman of a think tank on the future of Europe. The group, consisting of up to nine prestigious personalities commissioned to drawing up
2628-609: The capture of the organisation's ruling body in 1992. However, in the final years of his mandate several cases of corruption, the most notable of which were the scandals involving Civil Guard Director Luis Roldán , further eroded popular support for the PSOE. Nonetheless González and most of his ministers generally managed to leave office with their reputations intact, although they had performed poor oversight of some lower ranking public servants, according to María Antonia Iglesias ( La memoria recuperada. Lo que nunca han contado Felipe González y los dirigentes socialistas , 2003); Iglesias
2701-469: The case and who had contested the 1993 general election within the PSOE electoral lists, to be acting motivated by personal revenge against the party after political differences leading to his resignation as deputy in May 1994. In May to July 1995 some of the defendants accused PM Felipe González of "knowing and allowing such activities", even pointing out that he could have been the person creating and financing
2774-614: The crimes of bribery, embezzlement, fraud , forgery and tax evasion . Concurrently with the Roldán scandal, it is revealed on 5 April 1994 that former Governor of the Bank of Spain , Mariano Rubio, had a secret bank account in Ibercorp worth 130 million Ptas of undeclared money. Ibercorp had been an investment bank which had been intervened by the Bank of Spain in 1992 due to its involvement in obscure financial operations. Already in February 1992, it had been revealed that Rubio—then Governor of
2847-509: The death of those of his generation. In the first democratic general election after Franco's death, held in 1977, the PSOE became the second most-voted for party, and this served González to appear as a young, active and promising leader. However, he did not win the 1979 election and had to wait for 1982 and the dissolution of the Union of the Democratic Centre party to come into office. In
2920-402: The early 1990s, but was in this period when those seemed to affect directly to the incumbent PSOE leadership. These scandals would plague González's government throughout Felipe González 's fourth tenure as Prime Minister of Spain . On 23 November 1993, Spanish daily Diario 16 unveiled that Civil Guard Chief Director Luis Roldán had amassed a large patrimony, worth 400 million Pta and
2993-577: The early Nineties and to be available to all citizens, rather than only to those with social security. The pension system was extended to needy people, universal public schooling was expanded from all children under the age of 16, and new universities were established. Healthcare was reformed, with Gonzalez creating the National Health Service and accelerating the development of primary care medicine based on health centres, where integral primary care for adults, pregnant women and paediatric patients
1996 Spanish general election - Misplaced Pages Continue
3066-475: The economic reforms of the previous decade initiated a lasting period of economic growth) and with accusations of corruption and state terrorism scandals, including allegations of waging a dirty war against the terrorist group ETA by means of the GAL . There was speculation in the press about Javier Solana as a possible replacement, but Solana was appointed Secretary General of NATO in December 1995. In June 2020,
3139-566: The election to José María Aznar and the People's Party and was elected to the Congress of Deputies for the last time in the 2000 general election , from Seville . González was born in Bellavista, Seville , the son of a small dairy farmer. He has a sister called Lola González Márquez, married to Francisco Germán Palomino Romera, by whom she has two sons, Felipe and Germán Palomino González. He studied law at Seville University and started his career as attorney specialising in labor law. While at
3212-435: The first PSOE defeat in a general election since 1979 , but predictions of a landslide of the opposition José María Aznar 's People's Party (PP) failed to materialize. The PP had been widely expected to make gains after resounding wins in the 1994 European Parliament election and 1995 local and regional elections , with polls suggesting Aznar winning an outright overall majority or coming short of it by few seats would be
3285-467: The first time, despite opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. González pushed for reforms and a restructuring of the economy. On 23 February 1983, the Government passed a law nationalising the company Rumasa , a private business that included merchant banking interests, on the grounds that it was at the point of bankruptcy and the government needed to protect the savings of depositors and
3358-444: The illegalities he had done and accusing other Interior Ministry high-ranking members of also having benefited from the reserved funds and warning that he was willing to "pull the rug out". In a handwritten letter sent to González himself and revealed by El Mundo daily on 17 June 1994, Roldán acknowledged having received a monthly payment of 10 million Pta from Rafael Vera, State Security Director until early 1994. Among those he accused
3431-457: The jobs of its 60,000 employees, a decision that aroused considerable criticism and a judicial conflict over the law that was only resolved, in favour of the government, in December 1986. In the 1986 general election held on 22 June 1986, the PSOE gained 44.1% of the vote and 184 deputies in Parliament. González was elected prime minister for the second time. During this second term, Spain joined
3504-473: The most likely scenario. Instead, the election turned into the closest result between the two major parties in the Spanish democratic period to date; a PSOE comeback, fueled by a strong 77.4% voter turnout , the highest scored ever since, left the PP leading by just 1.2 percentage points and 290,000 votes, falling 20 seats short of an absolute majority. Julio Anguita 's United Left (IU) also failed to meet expectations, despite scoring their best overall result in
3577-455: The number of educational grants was multiplied by eight. Unemployment protection was expanded and a national education system for children under the age of six was established. Cash benefits in social housing, universal healthcare and education were introduced, along with earnings-based benefits for widowhood, sickness, disability and retirement. A Ministry of Social Affairs was also set up, allowing for social services to be decentralised in
3650-515: The party. He also resigned from the federal executive committee, though retaining his seat in the Congress. With no clear successor he continued to exert an enormous influence over the party. He was only replaced at the 35th party Congress in July 2000 when José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became the leader. In 1996, González was the head of the OSCE delegation which was sent to Federal Republic of Yugoslavia as
3723-483: The post—in a delicate political situation. Agriculture Minister Vicente Albero was also forced to resign his office in May 1994 after it was unveiled he had also possessed a secret account with undeclared money related to the scandal. In 1991, two policemen, José Amedo and Michel Domínguez, had been convicted for participating in the Liberation Antiterrorist Groups (GAL), death squads involved in
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#17328849167153796-425: The ruling Union of the Democratic Centre , a position it maintained in 1979 . After the PSOE victory in the 1982 general election , González formed his first majority government , backed by 202 out of the 350 deputies at the Congress of Deputies, and led the government of Spain for thirteen and a half years after three additional victories in the 1986 , 1989 and 1993 general elections. In 1996, González lost
3869-574: The same time mainstream media and political parties were accusing emerging Podemos of having links with the Venezuelan government. González is a member of the Club of Madrid , an independent non-profit organisation composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries. In 2015, González was awarded the Distinguished Leadership Award for Public Service in
3942-407: The seats allocated to that party in the elections, so that the candidates positioned highest on this list tend to always get a seat in the parliament while the candidates positioned very low on the closed list will not. However, the candidates "at the water mark" of a given party are in the position of either losing or winning their seat depending on the number of votes the party gets. "The water mark"
4015-484: The seven attributable to him: bribery and embezzlement . This scandal came to be known as the "Laos papers", because the initial governmental version of his capture—that it had been done cooperatively with the Laotian government—was disproved by Laotian authorities. The PSOE government refused to recognize the veracity of these claims, but acknowledged that their initial version was "wrong". Roldán would later be convicted for
4088-453: The signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election: The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), United Left (IU), The Greens (LV), Nationalist and Ecologist Agreement (ENE) and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) formed
4161-542: The time of Franco's death, González had become the most prominent figure among the left-wing of the democratic opposition to the regime, and played a critical role, along with then serving Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez , in the Spanish transition to democracy . During the Suárez government, General and Deputy Prime Minister Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado asked González not to raise the debate of the Civil War and Francoist repression until
4234-422: The time of dissolution. The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry , coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure
4307-708: The two remaining seats, which were elected using plurality voting . The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies. As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled the following seats: For the Senate, 208 seats were elected using an open list partial block voting system , with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors could vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of
4380-573: The university he met members of the clandestine socialist trade union Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT). He also contacted members of the PSOE and started taking part in the party's clandestine activity, necessary under the dictatorship of Franco. During that time he adopted the alias Isidoro and moved to Madrid. He was elected Secretary General of the Party at the Suresnes Congress, in France. By
4453-422: The unveiling of a string of corruption scandals, including the party's illegal financing, misuse of public funds to pay for undeclared bonuses to party officials and allegations of state terrorism ( GAL . The 1996 election was triggered following the withdrawal of parliamentary support from Convergence and Union (CiU) to the Socialist minority government of Felipe González in mid 1995. The election resulted in
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#17328849167154526-682: The variant of party-list systems where voters can effectively vote for only political parties as a whole; thus they have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected. If voters had some influence, that would be called an open list . Closed list systems are still commonly used in party-list proportional representation , and most mixed electoral systems also use closed lists in their party list component. Many countries, however have changed their electoral systems to use open lists to incorporate personalised representation to their proportional systems. In closed list systems, each political party has pre-decided who will receive
4599-452: Was a supporter of Kohl's drive for a united Germany, counteracting British and French hostility. He also started diplomatic relations with Israel , which had never been established by Franco because of antisemitism . Franco's successor Adolfo Suárez also refused to recognize Israel, while González' predecessor Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo would also fail to establish relations with Israel. Gonzalez's time as Prime Minister of Spain also marked
4672-401: Was characterized by a phase of expansive growth and massive inflow of foreign capital, attracted by high interest rates. Post-1989, however, saw unfavorable economic indicators, and recession and global economic crisis deeply affected unemployment rates. From 1994, a remarkable recovery phase began, from a recession of 1.1% of GDP in 1993 to a growth rate of 2%. Although the economic situation
4745-468: Was difficult, the unemployment rate began a gradual decline, reaching the end of the legislature in 22% after reaching 24% in 1994. On the other hand, the inflation rate fell to 5.5% between 1994 and 1996, public debt stood at 68% and the deficit at 7.1%. The 1993–96 legislature was marked by the uncovering of numerous corruption scandals involving the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . The eruption of corruption scandals had not been uncommon since
4818-445: Was forced to trigger an early dissolution of the Cortes Generales and a snap election to be arranged for early 1996, fifteen months ahead of schedule. The Cortes Generales were officially dissolved on 9 January 1996 after the publication of the dissolution decree in the BOE, setting the election date for 3 March and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 27 March. The legislature
4891-456: Was former Interior Minister José Luis Corcuera (1988–93), but also Prime Minister González, whom he pointed was "aware of everything". In the end, after ten months on the run, Luis Roldán was arrested on 27 February 1995 in Laos amidst claims that he and the Socialist government had reached an agreement in which Roldán would surrender himself in exchange of him being charged with just two crimes out of
4964-470: Was held on 6 June 1993, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 6 June 1997. The election decree was required to be published in the BOE no later than 13 May 1997, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Sunday, 6 July 1997. The prime minister had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call
5037-575: Was marked by the international economic crisis of 1992-1993 . While the economic situation in Spain since 1985 (coinciding with the accession of Spain into the European Communities ) was very favorable and the evolutionary profile of per capita GDP was resembling that of the EU countries, from 1989 the GDP started to decrease markedly and the economy entered a cycle of recession . The five-year period 1985-1989
5110-443: Was marred by the fact he was forced to form a pact with nationalist political parties from Catalonia and Basque country in order to form a new government. Towards the end of 1995 there was a debate about whether González should lead the PSOE in the forthcoming general elections. The People's Party intensified its campaign to associate his period in office with a poor economic situation (although unemployment had begun to decline and
5183-586: Was no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections for the Congress and the Senate. Still, as of 2024 there has been no precedent of separate elections taking place under the 1978 Constitution. After Convergence and Union (CiU) withdrew their confidence and supply support to the PSOE-led government in June 1995, materializing in the 1996 General State Budget being voted down in October, Prime Minister Felipe González
5256-610: Was provided. Gonzalez presided over an increase of youth and women's participation in government. State run Televisión Española reached a high level of quality under the direction of Pilar Miró. Private television channels were also permitted in 1990, ending the state monopoly. Felipe González also secured Spain's entry into the EEC, which the country joined in 1986, and consolidated democratic government. Together with François Mitterrand and Helmut Kohl , he revitalized efforts to push for European integration and extension of state power. He
5329-569: Was put in charge of the party's Global Progress Commission in response to globalisation . The commission's report formed the basis of the closing declaration of the 21st Socialist International Congress on 8–9 November 1999. He stood down as a deputy in the Spanish Parliament in March 2004. On 27 July 2007 the Spanish Government appointed him plenipotentiary and extraordinary ambassador for
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