Spain is a democracy with a Constitutional monarch. The Parliament consists of two chambers, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. Since 2004, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of the PSOE has been Prime Minister, with the title President of the Government. Elections were free and fair. The judiciary is independent. A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... States currently utilizing parliamentary systems are denoted in orange and red—the former being constitutional monarchies where authority is vested in a parliament, and the latter being parliamentary republics whose parliaments are effectively supreme over a separate head of state. ... Chambers may refer to Chambers, Nebraska Chambers County, Alabama Chambers Dictionary of the English Language Chambers of parliament Chambers, a judges office where motions concerning procedure are heard. ... (born August 4, 1960 in Valladolid) is the President of the Government of Spain. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. ...

Internal security responsibilities are divided among the National Police, which are responsible for security in urban areas; the Civil Guard, which police rural areas and control borders and highways; and police forces under the authority of the autonomous communities of Catalonia and the [[Basque Country (autonomous community|]]. Civilian authorities maintained effective control of the security forces. There have been allegations that some members of the security forces have committed isolated human rights abuses. Guardia Civil (Civil Guard in Spanish) is the name of several police forces: Guardia Civil (Spain) Guardia Civil (Peru) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... Capital Barcelona Official languages Catalan, Spanish, Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th in Spain  32 114 km²  6,3% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 2nd in Spain  6 995 206  15,9%  217,82/km² GDP Total (2004) GDP: €157,124 billion GDP per /capita: $26,550...

The market-based economy, with primary reliance on private enterprise, provided the population of over 40 million with a high standard of living. The economy grew during the third quarter at a 2.4 percent annual rate. The annual inflation rate was 3 percent at year's end. Unemployment decreased to 11.0 percent by November. Wages generally kept pace with inflation. An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ...

The Government generally respects the human rights of its citizens; although there are a few problems in some areas, the law and judiciary provide effective means of addressing individual instances of abuse. There are allegations that a few members of the security forces abused detainees and mistreated foreigners and illegal immigrants. According to Amnesty International (AI), government investigations of such alleged abuses are often lengthy and punishments were light. Lengthy pretrial detention and delays in trials are sometimes problems. Violence against women was a problem, which the Government took steps to address. Societal discrimination against Roma and immigrants remained a problem, as did occasional violence against immigrants. Trafficking in women and teenage girls for the purpose of prostitution was a problem, which the Government took steps to address. Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ...

The terrorist group ETA (Basque Fatherland and Liberty) continued its campaign of shootings and bombings, killing three persons during the year. ETA sympathizers also continued a campaign of street violence and vandalism in the Basque region intended to intimidate politicians, academics, and journalists. Judicial proceedings against members of ETA continued, and Spanish and French police arrested 126 suspected ETA members and collaborators. Since 22md March 2006 ETA has, however, been operating under an indefinite ceasefire. Euskadi Ta Askatasuna or ETA (Basque for Basque Homeland and Freedom; IPA pronunciation: [) is an armed Basque nationalist organization that seeks to create an independent socialist state for the Basque people in the Basque Country, separate from Spain and France. ...

Respect for Human Rights

External Links

• Human Rights Watch on Spain
• U.S Department of State Report on Human Rights in Spain, 2004 (Most text taken directly from this article)