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186-566: Mariano Rajoy PP No government formed and fresh election called. Mariano Rajoy remains acting Prime Minister The 2015 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 20 December 2015, to elect the 11th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain . All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Senate . At exactly four years and one month since
372-482: A party leadership election in July 2014. The tables below show the composition of the parliamentary groups in both chambers at 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
558-413: 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
744-503: A 10% tax—later reduced to 3%—and no criminal penalty, had been previously rejected by the PP during its time in opposition. Most of these measures were not included in the PP 2011 election manifesto and, inversely, many of the pledges included within were not fulfilled. Rajoy argued that "reality" prevented him from fulfilling his programme and that he had been forced to adapt to the new economic situation he found upon his accession to government. In
930-521: A Spanish election. Coming short by 340,000 votes of securing its campaign goal of becoming the main left-wing party in Spain, it managed to secure second place in 6 out of the 17 autonomous communities and came top in another two—the Basque Country and Catalonia. This result was ahead of what initial pre-campaign and campaign opinion polls had predicted, and was in line with a late-campaign surge in support for
1116-561: A coalition agreement before their meeting with the Sovereign. Title IV of the Constitution defines the Government and its responsibilities. The Government consists of the prime minister and the ministers. The government conducts domestic and foreign policy , civil and military administration, and the defense of the nation all in the name of the monarch on behalf of the people. Additionally,
1302-546: A coalition, which represented a qualitative leap from the Galician Left Alternative (AGE) coalition in the 2012 Galician regional election , was aimed at channeling the results of the local "mareas" ("tides") that succeeded throughout Galicia's largest cities in the May local elections . The coalition also received support from those local alliances, such as Marea Atlántica , Compostela Aberta or Ferrol en Común . For
1488-464: A common platform with other left-wing parties under the Popular Unity umbrella—obtaining the worst result in its history. Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD), a newcomer which had made gains in both the 2008 and 2011 general elections, was obliterated, losing all of its seats and nearly 90% of its votes. At the regional level, aside from a major breakthrough from Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC),
1674-615: A dramatic rise of the Spanish risk premium , and in June the country's banking system needed a bailout from the IMF . A major spending cut of €65 billion followed in July 2012, including a VAT rise from 18% to 21% which the PP itself had opposed during its time in opposition after the previous Socialist government had already raised VAT to 18%. Additional spending cuts and legal reforms followed throughout 2012 and 2013, including cuts in budget credit lines for
1860-512: A failed motion of confidence, a motion of no confidence against the prime minister or the death of the prime minister. In the first three options, there is no succession, because the prime minister remains as caretaker prime minister until a new prime minister is elected by the Congress of Deputies. If the Prime Minister dies, the 1997 Government Act provides that the Prime Minister be succeeded by
2046-570: A finger in the accident. His criticisms of the Zapatero administration were focused on what he perceived as: In foreign policy : Rajoy faced a serious situation within his party when he came under public pressure from the electorally successful Alberto Ruiz Gallardón (Madrid's Mayor) to be included in the PP ;lists for the March 2008 general election . Gallardón represents a more centrist sector within
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#17328835704572232-541: A general election would be 26 October 2015, meaning that, with the election decree being published on the following day, an election could not be held later than 20 December. An opinion article published in Público on 8 December 2014 suggested that the probable date for the election would then be either on 25 October or on a Sunday in November 2015, not counting All Saints' Day . After the 2015 local and regional elections, it
2418-541: A joint list to contest the general election in Catalonia : En Comú Podem ( Catalan for In Common We Can ). The coalition was aimed at mirroring Colau's success in the 2015 Barcelona City Council election at Catalan level; if successful, it was planned to be maintained permanently for future electoral contests. In Galicia , Podemos, Anova and United Left (EU) merged into the En Marea ticket ( Galician for In Tide ). Such
2604-606: A large number of politicians, councilors, officials and businessmen in the regions of Madrid , Murcia , Castile and León and Valencia . Ongoing investigations on the Gürtel scandal on the illegal financing of both the Madrilenian and Valencian branches of the People's Party brought down Health Minister Ana Mato , who was suspect from having benefited of some of the crimes allegedly committed by her former husband Jesús Sepúlveda, charged in
2790-515: A letter sent by Bárcenas himself to Rajoy in April 2010 (just a few days after he [Bárcenas] had been officially "removed" from his duties as treasurer) informing Rajoy of his "re-incorporation" in the party. On 26 November 2014, Ana Mato , Minister of Health , resigned due to the involvement of herself and her husband Jesús Sepúlveda in the Gürtel case . He testified in Audiencia Nacional as
2976-567: A majority, leading to a fresh election in 2016 . The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than the Senate , having 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
3162-497: A minority by adopting some aspects of the minor party platforms in an effort to attract them into parliamentary agreements to vote in the major party's favour, or at least abstain. The monarch's order nominating a prime ministerial candidate is countersigned by the Speaker of the Congress, who then presents the nominee before the Congress of Deputies in a process known as a parliamentary investiture ( Investidura parlamentaria ). During
3348-420: A more democratic governmental system, a halt to spending cuts and tax increases and an overall rejection of Spain's two-party system formed by both PP and PSOE. Social mobilization channeled through various protest actions, such as "Surround the Congress" ( Spanish for Rodea el Congreso ), the so-called "Citizen Tides" ( Mareas Ciudadanas ) or the "Marches for Dignity" ( Marchas de la Dignidad ). In Catalonia ,
3534-428: A prime minister resigns without advising the monarch to call for new elections, dies or becomes incapacitated while in office, then the government as a whole resigns and the process of royal nomination and appointment takes place. The deputy prime minister , or in the absence of such office, the first minister by precedence, would then take over the day-to-day operations in the meantime as acting-prime minister, even while
3720-507: A slush fund to pay out monthly amounts to leading members of the party, with further scandals rocking the PP for the remainder of its tenure. By late 2014, the sudden emergence of several episodes of corruption that had taken place over the previous years was compared to the Italian Tangentopoli in the 1990s. Among these were a massive expenses scandal involving former Caja Madrid senior executives and advisers—including members from
3906-592: A statistical tie with C's, and kept growing and approaching the PSOE, vying for second place, in the polls conducted—but unpublished by Spanish media—after the legal ban on opinion polls during the last week of campaigning had entered into force. On 18 December, the final day of campaigning, Podemos staged a massive rally in la Fonteta arena in Valencia , in support of the Compromís–Podemos–És el moment coalition and as
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#17328835704574092-434: A teenager, breaking his glasses. All the political parties, unanimously, condemned the attack. In the general election of 26 June 2016, the PP increased its number of seats in parliament, while still falling short of an overall majority. Eventually on 29 October Rajoy was re-appointed as prime minister, after the majority of the PSOE members abstained in the parliamentary vote rather than oppose him. In February 2016, Rajoy
4278-596: A weaker political position than predicted, as the "kingmaker" position that was thought to go to C's under opinion polling projections finally went to PSOE, with the Congress' fragmentation resulting from the election meaning that neither the PP–C's nor the PSOE–Podemos–IU blocs would be able to command a majority on their own. Mariano Rajoy Mariano Rajoy Brey ( Galician: [maɾiˈanʊ raˈʃoj] , Spanish: [maˈɾjano raˈxoj] ; born 27 March 1955),
4464-462: A whole, as the era of bipartisan politics was declared officially over by newcomers Podemos and Citizens, as well as by both national and international media. Podemos , which contested a general election for the first time after having been founded in January 2014, obtained an unprecedented 21% of the vote and 69 seats together with its regional alliances, the best result ever obtained by a third party in
4650-425: A witness in the framework of the investigation into the Gürtel corruption scandal , of the illegal financing of his party. He is the first PM in Spain in service to attend a trial. Although he benefited from this corruption scheme, he denied any knowledge. This situation prompted a no-confidence motion against Rajoy's government , which was debated on 13 June and defeated as expected on 14 June. Pío García-Escudero ,
4836-405: Is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018, when a vote of no confidence ousted his government. On 5 June 2018, he announced his resignation as People's Party leader. He became Leader of the People's Party in 2004 and prime minister in 2011 following the People's Party landslide victory in that year's general election , becoming the sixth president of
5022-504: Is dismissed from office the day after the election, but remains in office as a caretaker until his/her successor is sworn in. Following the general election and other circumstances provided for in the Constitution, the sovereign meets with the leaders of the parties represented in the Congress of Deputies, and then consults with the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies ( Spanish : Presidente de Congreso de los Diputados ) as representative of
5208-438: Is not a republic, but because the parliamentary speakers are also referred to as presidents of their respective chambers. For example, both President George W. Bush and his brother, Florida governor Jeb Bush , referred to José María Aznar as "president" on separate occasions, and Donald Trump referred to Mariano Rajoy both as "President" and "Mr. President" during Rajoy's 2017 White House visit. While this term of address
5394-517: Is not granted, a second vote is scheduled forty-eight hours later in which a simple majority of votes cast (i.e., more "yes" than "no" votes) is required. Following the second vote, if confidence by the Congress is still not reached, then the monarch again meets with political leaders and the Speaker, and submits a new nominee for a vote of confidence (exceptionally, in 2016 King Felipe VI opted for not nominating more candidates and call for new elections ). If, within two months, no candidate has won
5580-435: Is seen as a royal endorsement of the democratic process—a fundamental concept enshrined in the 1978 Constitution. The largest party can end up not ruling if rival parties form a coalition —as happened in 2018 with the election of PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez . More commonly, if neither of the two major parties ( Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is able to command an absolute majority of the Congress by themselves, one will rule as
5766-579: Is the grandson of Enrique Rajoy Leloup , one of the architects of the Galician Statute of Autonomy (1936) ( Estatuto de autonomía de Galicia ), who was removed from university teaching by the Franco dictatorship in the early 1950s. He is the son of Olga Brey López and Mariano Rajoy Sobredo , a jurist, and president of the Provincial Court of Pontevedra , the city where he grew up. Later on, his father
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5952-503: Is the second authority of the Kingdom of Spain, outranking all other State authorities except members of the royal family . In 2023, the Prime Minister received a salary of €90,010 and additional €13,422 as member of parliament. With this salary, the prime minister is not the highest paid official of Spain, being surpassed by other State authorities such as the royal family (the King , €269,296;
6138-463: Is today. The role of prime minister (then called Secretary of State) as president of the Council of Ministers, first appears in a royal decree of 1824 by King Ferdinand VII . The current office was established during the reign of Juan Carlos I , in the 1978 Constitution , which describes the prime minister's constitutional role and powers, how the prime minister accedes to, and is removed from office, and
6324-574: The 2015 Asturian regional election , this was the first time both parties contested an election together since Cascos's party split in 2011. An agreement with Navarrese People's Union (UPN) was also reached, after a period of negotiations in which the regional party had considered to contest the general election on its own in Navarre . For the Senate , the PP also aligned itself with the Fuerteventura Municipal Assemblies (AMF) to contest
6510-797: The 2017–18 Spanish constitutional crisis marked by the Catalan independence referendum of 2017 and the Catalan unilateral declaration of independence on 27 October 2017 that led to the imposition of direct rule in Catalonia. At 14 years and 146 days, Rajoy was the longest-serving Spanish politician in the Government of Spain since the Spanish transition to democracy , having held ministerial offices continuously from 1996 to 2004 and from 2011 to 2018. Born 27 March 1955 in Santiago de Compostela , A Coruña , Galicia, Rajoy
6696-555: The CUP and a meltdown for Socialist support in the region. Finally, the PP decline and the PSOE inability to recover lost support paved the way for the rise of new parties in the national landscape, such as Podemos and Citizens (C's), which began to rise dramatically in opinion polls after 2014 European Parliament election . PSOE leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba resigned the day after the European election, being succeeded by Pedro Sánchez after
6882-638: The Constitution of 1876 (article 54). With the fall of the First Republic and the restoration of the Bourbon dynasty on King Alfonso XII , the office maintained its original name until the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera , when it was renamed to President of the Military Directory . In 1925, the original name was restored again. The Republican Constitution of 1931 provided for the prime minister and
7068-622: 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
7254-618: The Council of Ministers Royal Decrees granting the degrees of Collar and Grand Cross, and all titles of the different degrees of the Royal Order must bear his signature and the monarch's. The last people to join the order were King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and his consort, Queen Maxima , who were awarded the collar and grand cross of the order, respectively, in March 2024 on the occasion of
7440-452: 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
7626-637: The Deputy Prime Minister and, if there is more than one, by the Deputy Prime Ministers, depending on their order. If there is no deputy prime minister, the Government Act establishes that the prime minister will be replaced by the ministers, according to the order of precedence of the Departments . This means that the first in the line of succession after the deputy prime ministers would be
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7812-535: The Minister of Foreign Affairs , followed by the Minister of Justice , the Minister of Defense and the Minister of Finance . These four ministers are the first and great offices created in 1714 by King Philip V . The Order of Charles III, officially the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, was established in 1771 by King Charles III and is today the country's highest civil honor. The current regulation of
7998-521: The Onda Cero radio station. Rajoy had also been invited to the debate, but the PP announced that Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría would attend in his place instead. The audience for the debate averaged 9.2 million, peaking at more than 10 million. Online polls conducted immediately after the debate by major newspapers coincided in showing Iglesias winning, while political pundits and journalists pointed on his strong performance. A fourth, final debate, organized by
8184-665: The PP , PSOE and IU parties and from Spain's main trade unions, UGT and CCOO —, who were accused of using undeclared "black" credit cards for private expenditures; revelations that the PP could have spent as much as €1.7 million of undeclared money on works on its national headquarters in Madrid between 2006 and 2008; and the Punica case, a major scandal of public work contract kickbacks amounting at least €250 million and involving notable municipal and regional figures from both PSOE and PP, as well as
8370-506: The President of the Senate also testified as a witness in the same investigation. On 26 April 2018, his former Minister of Justice , Alberto Ruiz Gallardón , was imputed by the judge for his involvement in the corruption scandal Case Lezo, which involves leaders of the PP in the Community of Madrid . The 2015 general election was held on 20 December, the latest possible day. The result
8556-704: The Queen , €148,105; and the Queen Mother , €121,186), the president of the Congress of Deputies (€230,931), the president of the Constitutional Court (€167,169), the president of the Supreme Court (€151,186) and the president of the Court of Auditors (€130,772), among others. The prime minister is constitutionally protected against ordinary prosecution. Although the Prime Minister does not have legal immunity like
8742-527: The Second Spanish Republic ended. Before 1834 the figure was known as " Secretary of State " ( Secretario de Estado ), a denomination used today for junior ministers . Spain was not unique in this regard: it was one of several European parliamentary systems, including France , Italy and the Irish Free State , that styled the head of government as 'presidents' of the government rather than
8928-514: The Spanish transition to democracy , losing 20 seats and nearly seven points. Newcomer Podemos ( Spanish for "We can") ranked third, winning over five million votes, some 20% of the share, 69 seats and coming closely behind PSOE. Up-and-coming Citizens (C's), a party based in Catalonia since 2006, entered the parliament for the first time with 40 seats, though considerably lower than what pre-election polls had suggested. Smaller parties were decimated, with historic United Left (IU)—which ran in
9114-474: The Supreme Court rejected the lawsuit. The newspaper El País published in its edition of 30 January 2013 a series of documents, under the title of " Bárcenas ' secret papers", referring to the accounts of the conservative party from 1999 to 2009. According to those hand-written documents, Mariano Rajoy and María Dolores de Cospedal had received extra payments in "black" money from the former treasurer of
9300-569: The Supreme Court , accusing them of diversion of public funds and misappropriation. Mariano Rajoy was accused of receiving a subsistence allowance despite the fact that he was living in the Moncloa Palace in Madrid. The lawsuit before the Supreme Court was a consequence of the data which had appeared in the media providing information about several deputies who had houses in Madrid but at the same time were receiving extra funds for lodging. According to
9486-451: The Title of Concession creating the dignity must be countersigned by a government minister. When a title is created for a former prime minister, the succeeding prime minister customarily countersigns the royal decree. Although prior to the reign of Alfonso XIII many noble titles were granted —or the rank of those who already possessed it one was raised— to prime ministers and ministers (such as
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#17328835704579672-541: The Valencian Community , the És el moment alliance ( Valencian for It is Time ) was created as a result of the agreement between Podemos and Compromís , with a strong role from Valencian deputy premier Mònica Oltra . United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) had also entered talks to enter the alliance, but left after disagreements with both Podemos and Compromís during negotiations. Additionally, Podemos
9858-662: The Xunta de Galicia . On 11 June 1983, Rajoy was elected President of the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra , a position he held until 10 December 1986. In the General Elections of 22 June 1986, he won a seat in the Congress of Deputies as the head of the AP's list for Pontevedra , although he resigned in November to take up the post of vice-president of the Xunta of Galicia following
10044-494: The ministers and chairs the Council of Ministers . In this sense, the prime minister establishes the Government policies and coordinates the actions of the Cabinet members. As chief executive, the prime minister also advises the monarch on the exercise of their royal prerogatives . Although it is not possible to determine when the position actually originated, the office of prime minister has evolved throughout history to what it
10230-467: The 17th century as "principal minister or prime minister of Spain" ) although they can not be completely compared. On 19 November 1823, after a brief liberal democratic period called the Liberal Triennium between 1820 and 1823, King Ferdinand VII re-established the absolute monarchy and created the Council of Ministers that continues to exist today. This council, when not chaired by the monarch,
10416-458: The 402nd Air Force Squadron (helicopters). The Parliament, and thus, the Government, sit for a term no longer than four years. Before that date, the prime minister may offer his resignation to the sovereign. If the Prime Minister does so while advising the monarch to dissolve parliament, the sovereign will call for a snap election , but no sooner than a year after the prior general election. If
10602-663: 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
10788-474: The Citizen Security Law and dubbed the "gag law" by critics, was met with a global outcry because of it being seen as a cracking down on Spaniards' rights of freedom of assembly and expression , laying out strict guidelines on demonstrations—perceived to limit street protests—and steep fines to offenders. Through 2013 to 2014, an attempt to amend the existing abortion law by a much stricter regulation allowing abortion only in cases of rape and of health risk to
10974-465: The Congress for a vote of confidence . In constitutional matters, the primacy of the prime minister over the ministers is also evident, since the prime ministers alone is responsible for the government initiative to challenge the constitutionality of a law . The Office of the Prime Minister ( Spanish : Presidencia del Gobierno , lit. ' Presidency of the Government ' ) is the combination of government departments and services that are at
11160-433: 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. Additionally, Spaniards abroad were required to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote ( Spanish : Voto rogado ). For the Congress of Deputies, 348 seats were elected using
11346-405: The Congress' right to withdraw confidence from the government, the Cortes Generales has two ways of forcing the prime minister's resignation: passing a motion of no confidence or rejecting a motion of confidence. In the first case, and following the German model, a prime minister can only be removed by a constructive vote of no confidence . While the Congress can censure the government at any time,
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#173288357045711532-558: The Congress, although not necessarily. The prime minister's official residence and office is Moncloa Palace in Madrid. Pedro Sánchez , of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), has been prime minister since 2 June 2018. He first came to power after a successful motion of no confidence against former prime minister Mariano Rajoy . Since then, Sánchez has led three governments, the most—along with Adolfo Suárez —just behind fellow socialist Felipe González , prime minister from 1982 to 1996. King Felipe VI re-appointed Sánchez for
11718-417: The Constitution vests the monarch as the "arbitrator and moderator of the institutions" of government, [The King] arbitrates and moderates the regular functioning of the institutions ( arbitra y modera el funcionamiento regular de las instituciones ). This provision could be understood as allowing the monarch or his government ministers to exercise emergency authority in times of national crisis, such as when
11904-574: The Cortes at the preceding election were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies. Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election: The People's Party (PP) chose to continue its electoral alliance with the Aragonese Party (PAR) under which it had already won the general election in Aragon in 2011 . In Asturias , an alliance with Asturias Forum (FAC)—former PP member Francisco Álvarez Cascos 's party—was reached. Hastened by FAC's vote collapsing in
12090-560: The Dukedom of Prim —granted to the daughter of late prime minister Juan Prim — or the Dukedom of Castillejos —awarded to the other son of the aforementioned prime minister—), it was not until this historical period when it became customary, since King Alfonso XIII granted a total of sixteen of these dignities to former prime ministers or their relatives during his reign. Of these, four were dukedoms (granted to relatives of assassinated prime ministers), three were marquessates and two counties, as well as seven grandships were granted. Likewise,
12276-443: The Executive Power and was also head of state . In 1874, the office name reverted to President of the Council of Ministers . Since its inception, the prime minister has been appointed and dismissed by the will of the monarch. Successive constitutions have confirmed this royal prerogative of the monarch in the Constitution of 1837 (article 47), article 46 of the Constitution of 1845 , the Constitution of 1869 (article 68), and
12462-420: The Government of the Basque Country, as Interior Minister. In this role, he passed legislation including the Organic Law on the right of association, approved the decree implementing the Organic Law on the rights and duties of foreigners, and presented the draft law on the prevention of alcoholism. In the major cabinet reshuffle of 9 July 2002, he became minister of the presidency, retained his vice presidency and
12648-460: The Gürtel case. The Monarchy had also come under public scrutiny as a result of a corruption scandal affecting Duke of Palma Iñaki Urdangarín , the Nóos case , and his spouse Cristina de Borbón , Infanta of Spain and daughter of King Juan Carlos I , for possible crimes of tax fraud and money laundering . These corruption allegations, coupled with other scandals—such as public anger at King Juan Carlos' elephant hunting trip to Botswana at
12834-444: The Ministry of Economy and Finance was split into two new ministries. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment was kept intact, despite statements made by Rajoy speech before Congress that indicated the opposite intention. Among the ministers, Cristóbal Montoro Romero , Minister of Finance, and Miguel Arias Cañete , Minister of Agriculture, Food and Environment, had been members of the previous Aznar government and continued to occupy
13020-436: The Ministry of the Presidency. The Cabinet Office, through the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Government, is responsible for the protocol and security affairs. Within the General Secretariat, there is a Department of Security of the Presidency of the Government (DSPG) that coordinates the efforts of the National Police Corps and the Civil Guard in the protection of the Prime Minister and his family, as well as
13206-439: The PP's rise to power and its perceived rightist stance were said to have been the final trigger for the independence movement to fire up. A 1.5-million strong demonstration in Barcelona on 11 September 2012 finally convinced the regional ruling Convergence and Union (CiU) of Artur Mas to switch to independence support, with a snap election being held in November 2012 resulting in a huge rise for pro-independence ERC and
13392-437: The PSOE, under the leadership of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , won the elections with a majority of 1,300,000 votes over the PP, and obtained 164 deputies, while the PP obtained 9,763,144 votes but 148 deputies, 35 less than they obtained in 2000. Rajoy was elected for the province of Madrid . On 1 December 2005, Rajoy survived a helicopter accident, along with Madrid Regional Government President Esperanza Aguirre ; he broke
13578-514: The People's Party had been illegally financed for 20 years. The following day, the same newspaper published the originals of Barcenas' papers which reflected overpayments to Mariano Rajoy in 1997, 1998 and 1999, when he was a minister in the Aznar cabinet. These payments violated the Incompatibilities Act of 1995. On 14 July, El Mundo published several text messages between Rajoy and Bárcenas,
13764-402: The People's Party in the polls, which was aggravated by the revelations of a series of corruption cases that seriously damaged the party's reputation. This, among other factors, led to a profound shift in the Spanish party system, with the rise of new political parties from the left and the right: Podemos and Citizens . The 2015 general election led to a parliamentary configuration that made
13950-452: The People's Party, Luis Bárcenas. These documents state that both Bárcenas and his predecessor, Álvaro Lapuerta , managed cash donations from businessmen and private builders (three of whom are additionally accused in the Gürtel case), cited as sources of undeclared income of the PP. Expenditure included, apart from allocations for the effective functioning of the party, payments made to members of
14136-570: The Spanish Government. The party lost its majority in the 2015 general election , but after that election ended in deadlock, a second election in 2016 enabled Rajoy to be reelected prime minister as head of a minority government. Rajoy was a minister under the José María Aznar administration, occupying different leading roles in different ministries between 1996 and 2003, and he also was the deputy prime minister between 2000 and 2003. He
14322-449: The Spanish people are paying the price for that". He promised he would shepherd Spain out of its crisis and recover the shaky confidence of international investors and reduce the government's ominously high borrowing costs. The debt crisis in Greece had raised concerns over the solvency of other weak economies like Spain. The PP campaign slogan called on voters to "Join the change!" and
14508-697: The State visit of the Spanish monarchs to the Netherlands. Upon retirement, it is customary for the monarch to grant a prime minister some honour or dignity. The honour bestowed is commonly the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic , the second highest civil honor, while the ministers receive the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (the highest civil distinction). This is because
14694-473: The TV Academy, was held on 14 December. The signal of the debate was offered to all interested media. Among others, nationwide TV channels La 1 , Canal 24 Horas , Antena 3 , laSexta and 13 TV broadcast the debate live. Iglesias and Rivera were not invited to the debate, with only Rajoy and Sánchez participating. The audience for the debate averaged 9.7 million. A poll conducted by Atresmedia immediately after
14880-454: The Westminster term of 'prime minister' (see President of the Council for the full list of corresponding terms). However the term ' president ' is far older. Since the 15th century, the Spanish monarchs has delegated its executive powers in relevant personalities. Two are the most important: the validos and the secretaries of state . The validos , which existed since early 15th century to
15066-406: The absolute majority it had held since 2011 in the Congress of Deputies. Its 123 seat-count was the worst result ever obtained by a winning party in a Spanish general election—previously been 156 seats in 1996 . Its result was also slightly below the party's expected goal of reaching 30% of the vote. The party's net loss of seats (64 fewer than in 2011) and vote share drop (minus 16 percentage points)
15252-412: The act in question. In these sense, the Constitution grants the prime minister the initiative to request the monarch for calling a referendum , for calling for new elections or for dissolving any of the legislative chambers. In Spain, the government ministers cannot force the prime minister resignation and this idea is reinforced when the Constitution grants the prime minister the sole initiative to request
15438-432: The association DRY, these representatives, who could be lodged at no cost to the public purse, were paid a monthly subsistence allowance valued at €1,823.36. Furthermore, if they had been elected by the constituency of Madrid and had a house in this city, they were allowed €870 a month to cover accommodation and food expenses resulting from the exercise of their functions that, with respect to Rajoy, were already covered – from
15624-462: The attacks, and on 13 March, Rajoy claimed to believe this because he was convinced of their will and capability for committing such crimes. The government was accused of attempting to blame ETA for the attacks in order to stay on track to win the elections (as they were favored to do), but then the Prisa center-left media company broke news that Al‑Qaida, rather than ETA, was responsible. On 14 March 2004
15810-446: The breaching of many election pledges. In its first months in power, Rajoy's government approved a series of tax rises, a harsh labour reform that allegedly cheapened dismissals —and which was met with widespread protests and two general strikes in March and November 2012—and an austere state budget for 2012. The crash of Bankia , one of the largest banks of Spain, in May 2012 resulted in
15996-550: The campaign trail in 2011, Rajoy published his autobiography, En Confianza ( In Confidence ). Earlier member of the Spanish National Union (UNE), Rajoy joined the right-wing party People's Alliance (AP), becoming a deputy in the inaugural legislature of the Galician Parliament in 1981. In 1982, he was appointed by Galician regional president, Xerardo Fernández Albor , as Minister of Institutional Relations of
16182-454: The censure motion must also include the name of a prospective replacement for the incumbent prime minister. If the censure motion is successful, the replacement candidate is automatically deemed to have the confidence of the Congress, and the monarch is required to appoint them as the new prime minister. As of 2023, only Pedro Sánchez managed to remove a sitting prime minister with a vote of no confidence in 2018 , making him prime minister. In
16368-495: The civil service, becoming the youngest-ever property registrar . He was assigned to Padrón (A Coruña), Villafranca del Bierzo ( León ) and Santa Pola ( Alicante ), a position he still holds. In that year, Rajoy sustained facial injuries in a traffic accident. Since then, he has always worn a beard to cover the scars from these injuries. Rajoy married Elvira "Viri" Fernández Balboa on 28 December 1996, on La Toja Island (Pontevedra). The couple have two children. While on
16554-549: The closing point of their campaign. With a capacity of over 9,000 people, 2,000 were left outside as the interior was entirely filled. It was noted by some media as a remarkable feat, as the PSOE had been unable to entirely fill the same place just a few days earlier on 13 December. The most notable incident during the electoral campaign was an attack on Mariano Rajoy during a campaign event in Pontevedra on 16 December. At 18:50, while walking with Development Minister Ana Pastor in
16740-461: The confidence of the Congress then the monarch dissolves the Cortes and calls for a new general election. The monarch's royal decree is countersigned by the Speaker of the Congress. After the nominee is confirmed, the Speaker of the Congress formally reports the fact to the sovereign. The monarch then appoints the candidate as the new prime minister and this too is countersigned by the Speaker. During
16926-400: The country's return to representative democracy in the 1970s, securing 186 out of the 350 seats in the lower house of Parliament. Voters turned to him in hopes of alleviating the pain of Europe's debt crisis . Following the general election held in 2011, Rajoy was elected prime minister by the Congress of Deputies on 20 December 2011. Rajoy, designated candidate for Prime Minister of
17112-538: The courts, was dubbed as violating the rights of effective judicial protection and free legal assistance . The controversial fees would later be removed in early 2015. A new Education Law—the LOMCE—received heavy criticism from the Basque and Catalan regional governments , which dubbed it as a re-centralizer bill, as well as from social sectors which considered that it prompted segregation in primary schools. Another bill,
17298-412: The date of expiry of the Cortes Generales . In September 2014, the Spanish media Voz Pópuli and El Plural further inquired on the possibility that the PP cabinet would be planning to delay the legislature's expiry by as much as possible, not holding a new election until February 2016. However, legal reports commissioned by the government showed that the deadline for dissolving the Cortes and triggering
17484-439: The debate showed 34.5% saying that "None of them" won, followed by Sánchez with 33.7%, Rajoy with 28.8% and "Both" with 3.0%. Opinion polls heading into the campaign had shown the PP firmly in first position, with both PSOE and C's tied for second place and Podemos trailing in fourth. However, as the campaign started and election day neared, Podemos numbers had begun to rebound while C's slipped. Podemos centered its campaign around
17670-460: The deputy prime minister themselves may be nominated by the monarch and stand for a vote of confidence. Also, if at the conclusion of the four years, the prime minister has not asked for its dissolution, according to Title II Section 56, the monarch must dissolve the Parliament and call for a new general election. Although the prime minister's position is strengthened by constitutional limits on
17856-481: The documents, one million people had signed a petition launched by the organization Change.org asking for the immediate resignation of Mariano Rajoy. On 8 July, the center-right newspaper El Mundo , usually a support of the Popular Party, published a four-hour interview with Luis Bárcenas, which had taken place a few days before he was put behind bars on 27 June, in which the former party treasurer revealed that
18042-422: The domestic field, the 2011–2015 period was dominated by a perceived regression in social and political rights . Spending cuts on the health care and education systems had fueled an increase in inequality among those without enough financial resources to afford those services. The government's authorization of the enforcement and increase of court fees , requiring the payment of between €50 and €750 to appeal to
18228-475: The duties of the office of Prime Minister with loyalty to the King, obey and enforce the Constitution as the main law of the State, and preserve in secret the deliberations of the Council of Ministers . Once appointed, the prime minister forms his government whose ministers are appointed and removed by the monarch on the prime minister's advice. In the political life of Spain, the monarch would already be familiar with
18414-731: The election in the Senate district of Fuerteventura . Meanwhile, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and New Canaries (NCa) both announced they would contest the general election together in the Canary Islands . NCa had already contested the 2008 and 2011 elections before: in 2008 they stood alone and won no seats, while in 2011 they won 1 seat as a result of an alliance with Canarian Coalition (CCa), alliance which they chose not to continue in 2015. Extremaduran Coalition and United Extremadura broke up their coalitions with both PSOE and PP, respectively, and chose to contest
18600-515: The election resulted in the most fragmented Spanish parliament up to that time. While the People's Party (PP) of incumbent prime minister Mariano Rajoy emerged as the largest party overall, it obtained its worst result since 1989 . The party's net loss of 64 seats and 16 percentage points also marked the largest loss of support for a sitting government since 1982 . The opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) obtained its worst result since
18786-508: The election saw all regional nationalist parties losing votes; the break up of Convergence and Union (CiU), support for the abertzale left EH Bildu coalition falling sharply, Canarian Coalition (CC) clinging on to a single seat and the expulsion of both Geroa Bai and the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) from parliament; the latter of which had maintained an uninterrupted presence in the Congress of Deputies since 1996. With
18972-602: The failure of talks with Republican Left of Catalonia to continue the Junts pel Sí coalition for the general election. CDC's former ally, Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida 's Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), chose to contest the election alone despite losing its parliamentary presence in the Parliament of Catalonia after the 2015 regional election . The key dates are listed below (all times are CET . The Canary Islands used WET ( UTC+0 ) instead): A total of four debates involving
19158-535: The formation of a government very difficult; as a result, Spain was without a government for over six months and new elections were held in June 2016 . Rajoy was finally appointed prime minister with the support of the Citizens party and the abstention of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . Rajoy's second term was marked by economic recovery and a drop in unemployment and the challenge of stagnating salaries. Rajoy also oversaw
19344-637: The general together under a single joint list, Extremeños ( Spanish for "Extremadurans"). In order to contest the general election, Podemos set up an extensive alliance system in several autonomous communities with other parties. After the negative results of the Catalunya Sí que es Pot alliance in the September Catalan election , Podemos, Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and United and Alternative Left (EUiA) reached an agreement with Barcelona en Comú — Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau 's party—to form
19530-465: The government exercises executive authority and statutory regulations. The main collective decision-making body of the Government is the Council of Ministers , chaired by the prime minister and, after a formal request by the Prime Minister, by the monarch . There is no provision in the Spanish Constitution for explicitly granting any emergency powers to the government. However, Section 56 of
19716-426: The government in the 2004 general elections, he was chosen as future PP leader on 1 September 2003 and left the government two days later. On 30 August 2003, Aznar announced that he would retire from politics in the 2004 elections and proposed Rajoy as his successor. Rajoy was elected Secretary General of the party the following day, and led the party into the 2004 elections . However, the PP's large lead evaporated in
19902-542: The government ministers since, at least, the 18th century, and in the case of the prime minister, this treatment is reinforced as member of the Order of Charles III , whose article 13 states that "the Knights and the Dames of the Collar, as well as the Knights and Dames Grand Cross, will receive the treatment of Most Excellent Lord and Most Excellent Lady". The Spanish Constitution foresee the office of deputy prime minister and also
20088-472: The government of King Juan Carlos I , appeared before the Congress of Deputies on 19 December 2011. He stated that to achieve the objective of a deficit of 4.4% of GDP in 2012, an investment of €16,500,000,000 would be needed. He added that his only increased public spending would be the revaluation of pensions, beginning 1 January 2012, and that he would not create any new jobs in the public sector, except for security forces. He stated an intention "to reduce
20274-482: The health care and education systems, the implementation of a pharmaceutical copayment , a reform of the pension system which stopped guaranteeing the increase of pensioners' purchasing power accordingly to the consumer price index , the suppression of the bonus for public employees , or the withdrawal of public subsidies to the dependent people care system. Other measures, such as a fiscal amnesty in 2012 allowing tax evaders to regularize their situation by paying
20460-539: The height of the economic crisis in 2012—as well as his own health problems, had severely eroded the Spanish Royal Family 's popularity among Spaniards, and were said to have taken its toll on the monarch, who announced his abdication on his son Felipe—to become Felipe VI of Spain —in June 2014. The social response to the ongoing political and economic crisis was mixed. The 15-M Movement had resulted in an increase of street protests and demonstrations calling for
20646-612: The infraestructure and personnel of the Moncloa Government Complex . The vehicles used by the Prime Minister are provided by the State Vehicle Fleet (PME), an autonomous agency of the Ministry of Finance that provides the government with all type of vehicles and well-trained drivers. The air transportation of the Prime Minister and other government officials is mainly provided by the 45th Air Force Group (planes) and
20832-406: The investiture proceedings, the candidate describes their political agenda in an Investiture Speech to be debated and submitted for a vote of confidence ( Cuestión de confianza ) by the Congress, effecting an indirect election of the head of government. Confidence is awarded if the candidate receives a majority of votes in the first poll (currently 176 out of 350 MPs), but if the confidence
21018-504: The late 17th century were people of the highest confidence of the monarchs and they exercised the Crown's power in the monarch's name. Since the 18th century, the validos disappeared and the secretaries of state were introduced. Both positions were de facto prime ministers (as demonstrated by the fact that since the tenure of the count-duke of Olivares , valido of Felipe IV , the validos were often called by courtiers and authors already in
21204-466: The latest dating from early 2013, after the discovery of Bárcenas' bank accounts in Switzerland and after some media had pointed to illegal payments within the PP. In those messages, Rajoy expressed his support to Bárcenas and asked him to keep quiet. In light of these new revelations, High Court judge Pablo Ruz summoned Bárcenas to appear before him on 15 July. In this new appearance, Bárcenas admitted
21390-543: The leaders of at least two of the four parties topping opinion polls ( PP , PSOE , Podemos and C's ) were held throughout the pre-campaign and campaign periods. The first debate was organized by the Demos Association and held in the Charles III University of Madrid on 27 November. The leaders of the four main parties were invited, but in the end only Pablo Iglesias and Albert Rivera attended. The debate
21576-624: The leadership of the party during those years with no explicitly stated purpose. Barcenas' accounts show yearly payments of 25,200 euros for 11 years to the President, in addition to smaller amounts for a total estimated at 33,207 with purposes such as "Mariano's suits", "Mariano's ties", or "M.R.'s suits". PP Secretary-General María Dolores de Cospedal appears in the papers of these payments, as well as other leaders, such as former ministers Javier Arenas , Jaime Mayor Oreja and Francisco Álvarez-Cascos . By 7 February, just one week after publication of
21762-512: The monarch also rewarded with numerous golden fleeces . King Juan Carlos I wanted to restore this tradition and, therefore, as a reward for their service, the last noble titles granted (both with grandship) were those of Adolfo Suárez (to whom the golden fleece was also awarded in 2007 ), who was created Duke of Suárez in 1981 and Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo , created Marquess of the Ría de Ribadeo [ es ] in 2002, twenty years after holding
21948-452: The monarch used his authority to back the government of the day and call for the military to abandon the 23-F coup attempt in 1981. The prime minister also assumes political responsibility for most acts of the sovereign. While the monarch is vested with executive power, his acts are not valid unless countersigned by a minister. Under Article 64 of the Constitution, that minister—usually the prime minister—assumes political responsibility for
22134-614: The monarch, the prime minister, as well as the members of the Royal Family, the Government, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, can only be criminally responsible before the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court ( Spanish Constitution, Part IV § 102 ). Although it is not formally regulated, Spanish custom establishes that the prime minister receives the treatment of The Most Excellent ( Spanish : Excelentísimo Señor, f. Excelentísima Señora ). This treatment has been customary for
22320-428: The most-voted party obtaining just 123 seats—compared to the 156 of the previous worst result for a first party, in 1996 —and a third party winning an unprecedented 69 seats—the previous record was 23 in 1979 —the result marked the transition from a two-party system to a multi-party system . After months of inconclusive negotiations and a failed investiture, neither PP or PSOE were able to garner enough votes to secure
22506-463: The mother was thwarted due to public outrage and widespread criticism both from within and outside the PP itself, resulting in its proponent, Justice Minister Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón , tendering his resignation. Political corruption became one of the focus issues for Spaniards in the polls after the Bárcenas affair erupted in early 2013, amid revelations that former PP treasurer Luis Bárcenas had used
22692-558: The move into national politics in Aznar's first government when he was appointed Minister of Public Administration on 6 May. His term was marked by the adoption, in 1997, of the Law on organization and operation of the general administration of the State (LOFAGE), which regulates the organization and functions of central government, and the Law on Government. He changed his portfolio on 20 January 1999 and replaced Esperanza Aguirre as Minister of Education and Culture . Just after his appointment, he
22878-767: The next day at the Zarzuela Palace , before the King and Queen, Zapatero, the outgoing prime minister, and the Presidents of the Cortes Generales, and others. Rajoy's government was formed on 21 December 2011 with thirteen ministers—the lowest number in Spanish democratic history. Soraya Saenz de Santamaria , Vice President of the Government, Minister of the Presidency, and government spokesperson, and Ana Pastor Julián , Minister of Equipment, were appointed. The Ministries of Culture, Science, and Territorial Policy were ended, and
23064-455: The oath of office next to religious symbols: Pedro Sánchez , along with most of his Cabinet members. His predecessor, Mariano Rajoy , a Catholic, put his right hand on the Constitution and, at the same time, his left hand on the Bible. As per tradition, if the members of the government choose not to take the oath along with any religious symbols, they use the word "prometo" ("I promise"), whereas if
23250-507: The offer. According to the organizer, PP proposed the presence of Deputy PM Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría instead but it was refused, as she "was not the PP candidate for PM". A poll conducted online immediately after the debate by El País to its readers showed Iglesias winning with 47.0%, followed by Rivera with 28.9% and Sánchez with 24.1%. A third, televised debate was organized by Atresmedia , held on 7 December and broadcast live simultaneously on its Antena 3 and laSexta TV channels and on
23436-433: The office acquired the current name, President of the Government, but between that date and 1973 the office was held by Francisco Franco as dictator of Spain. In 1973, Francisco Franco separated the head of state from the head of government, and that division still exists today, with the prime minister democratically elected by the Parliament which is itself elected by universal suffrage, free and equal. Adolfo Suárez
23622-457: The only legally possible dates for an election to be held. Finally, during an interview on 1 October, Rajoy announced that the election would be held on 20 December, the latest possible date allowed under Spanish law. Being held 4 years and 1 month after the 2011 election, this was the longest time-span between two general elections since the Spanish transition to democracy . The Cortes Generales were officially dissolved on 27 October 2015 after
23808-450: The opposition for trying to "criminalize" him by believing the word of an "offender", stating that he wasn't resigning nor calling new elections. Rajoy also stated that Bárcenas was no longer a member of the PP when he, Rajoy, was appointed prime minister (in December 2011). However, on 11 August, El Mundo published a paysheet, dated May 2012, issued by the PP for the ex-treasurer, as well as
23994-627: The order, established in October 2002, states that the prime minister is the Grand Chancellor of the Order (second to the Grand Master, the Monarch ). Upon taking office, the new prime minister shall be invested with the degree of Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order and with this rank he will act as Grand Chancellor of the same. It is responsibility of the Grand Chancellor to submit to the approval of
24180-568: The other hand, environmentalist party Equo was successful at reaching an agreement with Podemos, accepting to renounce their label and integrating themselves within Podemos' lists. After the dissolution of the Convergence and Union (CiU) federation in Catalonia, Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) joined Democrats of Catalonia and Reagrupament within the Democracy and Freedom alliance after
24366-575: The party manifesto stressed its commitment to cutting the country's budget deficit in line with EU requirements. It proposed tax breaks for savers and small firms who hired staff; benefits for those who took on young employees; more flexible labour contracts and wage negotiations and major cuts in red tape , to encourage entrepreneurs to set up businesses. At the same time, it pledged to protect public healthcare and education, saving money through efficiency and better management. In November 2011, Rajoy's right-wing People's Party won its biggest majority since
24552-411: The party, whereas Rajoy, Angel Acebes and Eduardo Zaplana are widely accepted as representing a more conservative wing of the party, closer to Aznar . Rajoy's final decision was to leave Gallardón out of the list for those elections, an action which provoked concern about the alienation of potential PP voters. Some experts and newspapers even argued that it could cost Rajoy the elections . In any case,
24738-563: The party. Citizens (C's) also had a strong performance for a national party in Spain, but its fourth place, 14% of the share and 40 seats were considered a letdown for party leader Albert Rivera , mainly as a consequence of the high expectations that had been generated around his candidacy. Pre-election opinion polls had placed C's near or above 20% of the vote share, and many also suggested a strong possibility of C's disputing second place to PSOE. Finally, it only came ahead of either PSOE or PP in Madrid and Catalonia. The party also found itself in
24924-494: The payment of 50,000 euros in 2010 to Rajoy and Dolores de Cospedal. As a result of the scandal, all the opposition parties urged Rajoy to give an explanation to parliament, with the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party threatening him with a censure motion should he refuse to come out and explain himself, and demanding his immediate resignation. In his appearance before Congress, on 1 August, Rajoy admitted that he had made "a mistake" in trusting Bárcenas and criticised
25110-663: The position changed names frequently. After the Glorious Revolution of 1868 , it was renamed President of the Provisional Revolutionary Joint and later President of the Provisional Government . In 1869, the office resumed the name of President of the Council of Ministers . Following the abdication of King Amadeus I , during the First Republic (1873–1874) the office was known as the President of
25296-762: The possibility of having more than one deputy prime minister. Although the position of deputy prime minister has existed intermittently since 1840, the Constitution endorses what was established in the Organic Act of the State of 1967, which provided for the first time the possibility of appointing more than one deputy and, in 1974, this provision became effective when Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro appointed three deputies ( José García Hernández , Antonio Barrera de Irimo and Licinio de la Fuente ). Since then, three more prime ministers ( Adolfo Suárez , José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero and Pedro Sánchez ) have had more than one deputy. The second government of Pedro Sánchez holds
25482-408: The power struggle for succession created a tense situation for him and for the party. On 30 January 2008, Rajoy received the support of Germany's Angela Merkel and France's Nicolas Sarkozy for the March 2008 general election. The PP was defeated in the general election, however, it gained votes and seats, and Rajoy continued to lead his party in opposition. The 2011 general election campaign
25668-417: The previous general election, this remains the longest timespan between two general elections since the Spanish transition to democracy , and the only time in Spain a general election has been held on the latest possible date allowed under law. After a legislature plagued by the effects of an ongoing economic crisis , corruption scandals affecting the ruling party and social distrust with traditional parties,
25854-401: The prime minister is, since he is appointed as such by the sovereign, a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, for which he is awarded the next highest distinction. In addition to these honors, the monarch might offer the former prime minister a peerage , being the highest marks of distinction that he may bestow in his capacity as the fons honorum in Spain. Conventionally,
26040-439: The public employment service for at least twelve months out of the previous eighteen and whose income amounts were less than three quarters of the net minimum wage. A 4% value-added tax was expanded to include new home purchases. On 4 January 2013 the association Democracia Real Ya (DRY), created after the 15 May 2011 protest movement, brought charges against Mariano Rajoy and another 62 deputies (including four ministers) before
26226-615: The publication of the dissolution decree in the BOE, setting the election date for 20 December and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 13 January 2016. Mariano Rajoy won the 2011 general election in a landslide running on a platform that promised to bring a solution to the country's worsening economic situation , marked by soaring unemployment and an out-of-control public deficit . However, shortly after taking office, Rajoy's People's Party (PP) popularity in opinion polls began to erode after its U-turn on economic policy, which included
26412-408: The record for most deputies, appointing four. This large number of deputy prime ministerships was interpreted as a maneuver to reduce the political weight of his second deputy prime minister and leader of the minority party in the coalition, Pablo Iglesias Turrión . According to article 101 of the Spanish Constitution, the prime minister and its government only ceases in the cases of resignation,
26598-471: The relationship between the prime minister and Parliament. Upon a vacancy, the monarch nominates a candidate for a vote of confidence by the Congress of Deputies , the lower house of the Cortes Generales . The process is a parliamentary investiture by which the head of government is elected by the Congress of Deputies. In practice, the prime minister is almost always the leader of the largest party in
26784-402: The relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure 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. Concurrently, parties, federations or coalitions that had not obtained a mandate in either chamber of
26970-520: The resignation of Xosé Luis Barreiro and the rest of the ministers. He occupied this latter position until the end of September 1987. In May 1988 he was elected General Secretary of the AP in Galicia during an extraordinary congress of the regional party. When in 1989 the AP merged with other parties to form the People's Party (PP), with Manuel Fraga as its president, Rajoy was named a member of its National Executive Committee and delegate for Pontevedra. He
27156-567: The rest of the government to be appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic but they were responsible before the Parliament and the Parliament could vote to dismiss the prime minister or a minister even against the will of the president of the republic. In the Civil War , the head of government among the Nationalists was called Chief of the Government of the State and since January 1938
27342-460: The same posts. On 30 December 2011, the Council of Ministers approved a cuts plan (called an austerity plan) amounting to €8,900,000,000 in savings and €6,200,000,000 in new revenues. Salaries of public workers were frozen, the workweek in public administration was reduced to 37.5 hours, and recruitment of new public employees was halted, except in the areas of security, health and education. A programme which provided rent assistance for young people
27528-590: The second and first place to Podemos in 8 out of the 17 autonomous communities, and finished fourth in Madrid , the capital's district. It was able to narrowly win in Andalusia and Extremadura —which it had resoundingly lost to the PP in 2011—thanks to the PP vote collapse in those regions, but it lost in Barcelona for the first time ever in a general election, and its sister party, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC),
27714-419: The second case, the prime minister, after deliberation by the Council of Ministers , can propose a vote of confidence regarding the government's policies in Congress. If Congress does not give the prime minister its confidence, the prime minister must resign. As of 2023, only prime minister Adolfo Suárez in 1980 and Felipe González in 1990 proposed a vote of confidence, both successfully. The Prime Minister
27900-500: The service of the Prime Minister to fulfill its constitutional duties. It was established around 1834 when officials and budget began to be assigned to the personal Secretariat of the Prime Minister. Today, it acts as a ministerial department , although it is not formally one of them, and approximately 2,000 people work there. The Prime Minister's Office principal departments are: The autonomous agency Patrimonio Nacional , which manages Crown properties, depends on this Office through
28086-424: The size of the public sector" and also wanted to reform public holidays so as to avoid encouragement of popular four-day weekends. This would be accomplished by incorporating the use of the nearest Monday for most public holidays. He also announced his desire to end the practice of early retirement. Rajoy was chosen by Parliament two days later with 187 votes in favor, 149 votes against and 14 abstentions, receiving
28272-481: The slogan of "remontada" ( Spanish for "comeback"), trying to convey voters a message of illusion and optimism. After the Atresmedia televised debate on 7 December—in which Iglesias was said to have outperformed all other three with his final address—and following a series of gaffes by C's leaders that had affected their party's campaign, Podemos experienced a surge in opinion polls. By Monday 14 December it had reached
28458-493: The state budget – in the Moncloa Palace. DRY therefore accused them of diversion of public funds and misappropriation. Additionally, DRY demanded that they return all the money that didn't belong to them, particularly bearing in mind that "the cuts are making most Spaniards' life a misery". On 24 April 2013, having found no irregularity in the existing regulation and discarding the existence of constituents elements of offense,
28644-656: The support of the People's Party, the Forum of Asturias (FAC) and the Navarrese People's Union (UPN), with Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Convergence and Union (CiU), the United Left (IU) and Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) dissenting. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), the coalition Amaiur and the Canary Coalition (CC) abstained. He was appointed a few hours later as prime minister by Juan Carlos I and sworn in
28830-529: The swearing-in ceremony presided over by the monarch, customarily at the Audience Hall of the Royal Palace of Zarzuela , the prime minister–designate takes an oath of office over an open Constitution and—at choice since 2014 —next to a Bible and a crucifix . The prime minister must take the oath or affirmation placing the right hand on the Constitution. Currently, only one prime minister has refused to take
29016-528: The take the oath with the Bible, they use the word "juro" ("I swear"). The oath as taken by Prime Minister Zapatero on his first term in office on 17 April 2004 was: Juro/Prometo, por mi conciencia y honor, cumplir fielmente las obligaciones del cargo de Presidente del Gobierno con lealtad al Rey, guardar y hacer guardar la Constitución como norma fundamental del Estado, así como mantener el secreto de las deliberaciones del Consejo de Ministros. I swear/promise, under my conscience and honor, to faithfully execute
29202-404: The third time on 17 November 2023 after he reached a coalition agreement with Sumar and gathered the support of other minor parties. His third government took office on 21 November 2023. The Spanish head of government has been known, since 1939, as "President of the Government" ( Spanish : Presidente del Gobierno ). Not only is this term confusing for English speakers because Spain
29388-414: The total party vote and 90 seats, well below Pedro Sánchez 's target of at least 100 seats. Losing 20 seats and nearly 7 percentage points to its already negative 2011 result, this was the first time since the Spanish transition to democracy that one of the two largest parties fell below the 100-seat mark. Overall, while able to hold on to its second place nationally in terms of votes and seats, it lost
29574-708: 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
29760-446: The various political leaders in a professional capacity, and perhaps less formally in a more social capacity, facilitating their meeting following a general election. Conversely, nominating the party leader whose party maintains a plurality and who are already familiar with their party manifesto facilitates a smoother nomination process. In the event of coalitions , the political leaders would customarily have met beforehand to hammer out
29946-475: The vicinity of the Pilgrim Church, a 17-year-old approached him and punched him in the temple . The assailant was restrained by the Prime Minister's security guards and was subsequently transferred to the police station in the city. Rajoy, who was red-faced and stunned for a few seconds, continued to walk without his glasses, broken during the assault. The assailant turned out to be related to Rajoy's wife, as he
30132-486: The wake of the 11-M bombings , and the PP was heavily defeated by the PSOE. However, Rajoy was not held responsible for the defeat, and was elected party president at the PP's 14th congress in October 2004. On 11 March 2004, three days before the 2004 general elections , Madrid was struck by terrorist attacks , which the government initially blamed on the armed Basque separatist organisation, ETA . Aznar's government and government party leaders insisted on accusing ETA of
30318-483: The whole of parliament), before nominating a candidate for the prime ministership. This process is spelled out in Section 99 of the Constitution. By political custom established by Juan Carlos I since the ratification of the 1978 Constitution, the sovereign's nominees have usually been from parties who have a plurality of seats in the Congress (i.e. the largest party). Although there is no legal requirement for this, it
30504-434: Was abolished, and the minimum wage was frozen—something that had not happened since 1966. The income tax and tax on real estate was also increased for 2012 and 2013. Pensions were adjusted up 1%, however, and the tax deduction for the purchase of homes was reinstated. The premium of €400 for the long-term unemployed (due to a lack of industry) at the end of law was maintained but only for those registered as jobseekers with
30690-596: Was appointed deputy secretary general of the party. He was re-elected in Pontevedra in the election on 6 June 1993. On 3 March 1996, the PP won the early parliamentary elections and formed a government with the support of the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV), Convergence and Union (CiU) and the Canarian Coalition (CC). Rajoy, a long-time associate of newly elected prime minister José María Aznar, made
30876-511: Was appointed spokesman of the government. In his new role, he faced two very difficult times of Aznar's second term: the Prestige oil tanker disaster off the coast of Galicia , and the participation of Spain in the Iraq War , at the request of George W. Bush . Approached, with Rodrigo Rato and Jaime Mayor Oreja, to succeed José Maria Aznar at the direction of the PP and as presidential candidate of
31062-453: Was broadcast live on YouTube . The second debate was held on 30 November. Organized by El País newspaper, it was broadcast live entirely through the websites of El País and Cinco Días , the Cadena SER radio station and on the 13 TV television channel. Pedro Sánchez , as well as Iglesias and Rivera, attended the debate. Mariano Rajoy (PP) was also invited to the debate but declined
31248-456: Was chaired by the secretary of state for foreign affairs ( Spanish : Secretario de Estado y del Despacho de Estado ), who acted as prime minister. This role was ratified by the Royal Statute of 1834 , which constitutionalized for the first time the figure of the prime minister under the name of "President of the Council of Ministers", invested with executive powers. During the 19th century,
31434-493: Was declared 'persona non grata' of Pontevedra , his adopted city, because of his cabinet's decision to extend the operating license of a controversial cellulose factory by 60 years (see List of people declared persona non grata). Prime Minister of Spain The prime minister of Spain , officially president of the Government (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno ), is the head of government of Spain . The prime minister nominates
31620-710: Was dominated by economic issues. "Election campaign begins, crushed by the economic situation", was the headline in El País on 2 September 2011; the same day, El Mundo claimed that "the unemployment election campaign [had begun]". The high rate of unemployment was a major issue in the campaign. Close to 5 million people were out of work at the time of the election, and 1.5 million households had no wage earners. Rajoy slammed Spain's unemployment rate as "unbearable and unacceptable" as data showed 4,350 people per day losing their jobs in October 2011. The Socialists, he said, "did not know how to manage Spain's economy , and now
31806-489: Was held on 20 November 2011, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 20 November 2015. The election decree was required to be published in the BOE no later than 27 October 2015, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Sunday, 20 December 2015. The prime minister had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call
31992-422: 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. In May 2014, the Spanish newspaper ABC disclosed that the government was considering whether it was possible for a general election to be upheld until early 2016, supported on an ambiguous legal interpretation on
32178-527: Was not extended to the Congress election, where all four parties ran separately. In Catalonia and Galicia, Popular Unity (IU–UPeC) did not contest the election as such. The respective regional United Left branches joined En Marea and En Comú Podem, which supported Podemos at the national level. While a nationwide coalition between Podemos and IU had been considered, Podemos did not wish to assume IU's internal issues, and United Left candidate Alberto Garzón had refused to leave IU to integrate Podemos' lists. On
32364-521: Was not incorrect, it could be misleading to English speakers so prime minister is commonly used as a culturally equivalent term to ensure clarity. Use of the term "president" dates back to 1834 and the regency of Maria Christina when, styled after the head of government of the French July Monarchy (1830), the official title was the "President of the Council of Ministers" ( Presidente del Consejo de Ministros ). This remained until 1939, when
32550-408: Was reduced to third party status in Catalonia after decades of political dominance. The combined results for the top two parties was also the worst for any general election held since 1977 , gathering just 51% of the total party vote and 213 seats, just slightly above the required 3/5 majority for an ordinary constitutional reform. The result was regarded as a loss for bipartisanship in Spain as
32736-560: Was reelected to parliament in 1993. Before the PP's triumph in the 1996 elections, he was a PP-designated member of the Commission of Parliamentary Control of the RTVE . In April, the former president of Castile and León and presidential candidate of the government general elections in 1989, José María Aznar , was elected president of the PP. Confirmed in the National Executive, Mariano Rajoy
32922-424: Was reelected vice-secretary general of the PP during its thirteenth national conference. In 2000 he led the People's Party election campaign for the elections on 12 March, in which they won absolute majority. On 28 April 2000, Rajoy was appointed Senior Vice President of Government and Minister of the Presidency. Less than a year later, on 28 February 2001, he replaced Jaime Mayor Oreja , candidate for President of
33108-423: Was rising quickly and approaching the PSOE, to the point that there was the possibility of it becoming the second political force of the country. Merkel expressed concern about such an event. The election results produced the most fragmented parliament in recent Spanish history. As opinion polls had predicted, the People's Party (PP) was able to secure first place with a clear lead over its rivals, but it lost
33294-405: Was suggested that the general election would presumably be held on either 22 or 29 November. However, once it was confirmed that the government intended for the approval of the 2016 budget before the election, it was strongly implied that polling day would have to be delayed until December to allow for completion of the budgetary parliamentary procedure, with either 13 or 20 December being regarded as
33480-399: Was that the People's Party remained the most voted-for party, but it lost 64 of its 187 seats and thus its majority. The election produced a fragmented parliament and an uncertain political situation that led to another election in 2016, as neither Rajoy nor the left-wing opposition could form a coalition government . During the electoral campaign, on 16 December, he was punched in the face by
33666-445: Was the Leader of the Opposition between 2004 and 2011 under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero 's government. Rajoy's first term was heavily marked by the Spanish financial crisis and oversaw a major restructuring of the Spanish financial system as well as a major labour reform. The financial crisis peaked with a bailout of the Spanish banking system in June 2012. Unemployment in Spain peaked at 27% in 2012, which led to an initial drop of
33852-412: Was the PP's largest fall in popular support in its history, as well as the worst showing for a sitting government in Spain since 1982 . Overall, it was also the worst result obtained by the PP in a general election since 1989 , back to the party's refoundation from the People's Alliance . The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) obtained its worst election result in recent history, with just 22% of
34038-423: Was the first democratically elected prime minister of the post-Franco government. He was originally appointed by King Juan Carlos I on 3 July 1976, and he was confirmed in the office by popular vote after the 1977 Spanish general election . Once a general election has been called by the monarch , political parties designate their candidates to stand for prime minister—usually the party leader. A prime minister
34224-515: Was the son of a cousin of Elvira Fernández, and also a member of a family known for sympathizing with the People's Party. The following day, Rajoy attended a European Council meeting in Brussels , where Angela Merkel and other European leaders approached him showing their support to him after the assault. During the meeting a camera recorded Rajoy, Merkel and other leaders discussing the electoral prospects of Spanish parties. Rajoy revealed to them that, according to PP internal opinion polls, Podemos
34410-405: Was to contest the general election in the province of Huesca alongside segments of Now in Common within the " Ahora Alto Aragón en Común " coalition (Spanish for Now Upper Aragon in Common ). In Navarre, all four Podemos, Geroa Bai , EH Bildu and I-E coalesced under the Cambio-Aldaketa umbrella for the Senate, aiming at disputing first place regionally to the UPN–PP alliance. The agreement
34596-448: Was transferred to León and the whole family moved there. He was duly enrolled, together with his brothers Luis and Enrique, and spent ten years there before moving to the Jesuit school in Vigo . After finishing secondary school he started university, enrolling in the Law Faculty in Santiago de Compostela. Rajoy graduated from the University of Santiago de Compostela and passed the competitive examination required in Spain to enter into
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