Spain

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The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Coat of Arms of the King of Spain King of Spain redirects here. ... Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (baptized as Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome and is the reigning King (Rey de España) and head of state of Spain. ... The President of the Government of Spain (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno), sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the Spanish head of government. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ... (1977 - 1979): Council of Ministers of Spain (1st Legislature) (1979 - 1982): Council of Ministers of Spain (2nd Legislature) (1982 - 1986): Council of Ministers of Spain (3rd Legislature) (1986 - 1989): Council of Ministers of Spain (4th Legislature) (1989 - 1993): Council of Ministers of Spain (5th Legislature) (1993 - 1996): Council of Ministers... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in Spanish Congress of Deputies. ... Political parties in Spain lists political parties in Spain. ... Elections in Spain gives information on election and election results in Spain. ... Won by a Mr Martin J Hollerwatch of 34 Clackton Road, Cumberbatch-On-Sea (El Partido Malvado - The Evil Party) through a sliding majority poll of fifty to something. ... Results for the 1979 Spanish general election Reference El País official webpage (spanish) Congreso de españa official webpage (spanish) ... PSOE and PSC presented two different candidatures: PSOE in Spain and PSC (Catalan Social Party) only in Catalunya. ... References El País official webpage (spanish) http://www. ... External links Official results Categories: Elections in Spain ... External links Official results Categories: | ... External links Official results Categories: Elections in Spain ... Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. ... Map of Spains electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... The Constitutional Court of Spain (Spanish: Tribunal Constitucional de España) is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government. ... The General Council of the Judicial Power is the autonomous institution which governs all the judicial instances of Spain, such as tribunals, courts, and judges, as it is established by the Spanish Constitution of 1978, article 122. ... The Supreme Court of Spain is the highest judicial body in Spain for all matters not pertaining to the Constitution. ... The Audiencia Nacional de España, is a high court in Spain. ... An ombudsman (English plural: ombudsmans or ombudsmen) is an official, usually (but not always) appointed by the government or by parliament, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... List of Spanish Regional Governments Spain has 17 autonomous regions (comunidades autonomas), plus two autonomous cities (ciudades autonomas). ... Andalucia - Parlamento de Andalucia Aragon - Cortes de Aragón Asturias - Junta del Principado Basque Country - Basque Parliament Canary Islands - Parlamento de Canarias Cantabria - Parlamento de Cantabria Castilla y León - Cortes de Castilla y León Castilla La Mancha - Cortes de Castilla La Mancha Catalonia - Parlament de Catalunya Extremadura - Asamblea... In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... Officially, Spain is subdivided into: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas) and two autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas: Ceuta and Melilla). ... The municipalities of Spain (Spanish: municipios), 8111 in total, are the basic level of Spanish local government. ... Spain is a democracy with a Constitutional monarch. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... After the return of democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975, Spains foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and define security relations with the West. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... The Spanish transition to democracy or new Bourbon restoration was the era when Spain moved from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco to a liberal democratic state. ...

Origins

The constitutional history of Spain dates back to the constitution of 1812. After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, a general election in 1977 convened the Constituent Cortes (the Spanish Parliament, in its capacity as a constitutional assembly) for the purpose of drafting and approving the constitution. For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco Bahamonde (4 December 1892–20th (or possibly 19th) November[1] 1975), commonly abbreviated to Francisco Franco (pron. ... 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Won by a Mr Martin J Hollerwatch of 34 Clackton Road, Cumberbatch-On-Sea (El Partido Malvado - The Evil Party) through a sliding majority poll of fifty to something. ... For the album by Ash, see 1977 (album). ... Constituent Cortes (Cortes constituyentes) is the description of the Cortes (Spanish parliament) when convened as a constituent assembly. ...

Each of the Spanish parties had its recommendation to voters.

A seven-member panel was selected among the elected members of the Cortes to work on a draft of the Constitution to be submitted to the body. These came to be known, as the media put it, as the padres de la Constitución or Constitution's fathers. These seven people were chosen to represent the wide (and often, deeply opposed) political spectre within the Spanish Parliament, while the leading role was given to then ruling party and now defunct Unión de Centro Democrático. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1462, 273 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1745x1462, 273 KB) Summary Political posters from the 1970s on a simulated street wall in an exhibition celebrating 20 years of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. ... Adolfo Suarez decorating a political poster 15th of June, 1977 The Democratic Center Union (Spanish: Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD) was a coalition, and later political party, in Spain, existing from 1977 to 1983, and initially led by Adolfo Suárez. ...

• Among there was the writer (and Senator by Royal appointment) Camilo José Cela who later polished the draft Constitution's wording. However, since much of the consensus depended on keeping the wording ambiguous, few of Cela's proposed re-wordings were approved. One of those accepted was the substitution of the archaic gualda ("wheat-colored") for the plain amarillo in the description of the flag of Spain^[1].

The constitution was approved by the Cortes Generales on October 31, 1978, and by the Spanish people in a referendum on December 6, 1978, before being promulgated by King Juan Carlos on December 27. It came into effect on December 29, the day it was published in the Official Gazette. Constitution Day on December 6 has since been a national holiday in Spain. Spanish writer Camilo José Cela Don Camilo José Cela Trulock, Marquis of Iria Flavia (es: Don Camilo José Cela Trulock, marqués de Iria Flavia) (May 11, 1916 – January 17, 2002) was an influential Spanish writer and member of the Generation of 50. ... Species T. aestivum T. boeoticum T. compactum T. dicoccoides T. dicoccon T. durum T. monococcum T. spelta T. sphaerococcum T. timopheevii References:   ITIS 42236 2002-09-22 For the indie rock group see: Wheat (band). ... The government usage flag of Spain in its current form was adopted on December 19, 1981[1], when the now established flag replaced the interim version which, in turn, replaced the official flag of Francoist Spain. ... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Elections Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... King Juan Carlos I His Majesty King Juan Carlos I (Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón), styled HM The King (born January 5, 1938), is the reigning King of Spain. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... Listen to this article · (info) This audio file was created from an article revision dated 2005-12-10, and does not reflect subsequent edits to the article. ... Public holidays in Spain: Category: ...

Preamble

Structure of the State

The Constitution recognizes the existence of nationalities and regions (Preliminary Title). Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms through dynastic inheritance, conquest and the will of the local elites. ...

Preliminary Title

Section 2. The Constitution is based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards; it recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government of the nationalities and regions of which it is composed and the solidarity among them all.

As a result, Spain is now composed entirely of 17 Autonomous Communities and two autonomous cities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that, even though the Constitution does not formally state that Spain is a federation (nor a unitarian state), Spain has a decentralized system in practice.

Article 143

Section 1. In the exercise of the right to self-government recognized in Article 2 of the Constitution, bordering provinces with common historic, cultural and economic characteristics, island territories and provinces with historic regional status may accede to self-government and form Autonomous Communities in conformity with the provisions contained in this Title and in the respective Statutes.

Reform

The Spanish Constitution has been reformed once (Article 13.2, Title I) to extend to citizens of the European Union the right to active and passive suffrage (both voting rights and eligibility as candidates) in local elections.

The socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has announced its intention to undertake a major reform of the constitution during its tenure. The proposed modifications would include The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... This article does not cite its references or sources. ...

1. succession in the monarchy on the basis of age only, and not gender, thus abandoning the traditional Castilian rules set in the Siete Partidas. While the rights of the current heir apparent Felipe, Prince of Asturias, are to be maintained, the goal is to reform before his eventual children are born. This issue has been refreshed when Felipe's wife, Letizia, announced her first and second pregnancies and after the birth of the Infanta Leonor of Spain. The Prince has however reminded that there is time since he comes first in the succession line.
2. an overhaul of the Spanish Senate transforming it into a chamber of territorial representation
3. officially incorporating the European Constitution (should one be approved)
4. listing the names of the existing autonomous communities

The proposal has been met with scepticism from some quarters (notably the main opposition party PP) because some of these reforms affect protected sections of the constitution, which would require strong supermajorities in order to be modified (see below). Furthermore, even an amendment of a non-protected part of the Constitution would require PP agreement, because requires the support of 3/5 of each House, which is 210 votes in the Congress of Deputies and 156 in the Senate. The maximum majority without the PP is 202 votes in the Congress of Deputies and 133 in the Senate. The starting point of Crown of Castile can be considered when the union of the Kingdoms of Castile and Leon in 1230 or the later fusion of their Cortes (their Parlaments). ... First page of a 1555 version of the Siete Partidas, as annotated by Gregorio López. ... Felipe, Prince of Asturias (Felipe Juan Pablo Alfonso de Todos los Santos de Borbón y de Grecia) born January 30, 1968), is the third child of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain. ... HRH The Princess of Asturias Her Royal Highness Letizia, Princess of Asturias, (Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano), styled HRH The Princess of Asturias (born September 15, 1972), is the consort (May 22, 2004-present) of Felipe, Prince of Asturias. ... The Infanta Leonor of Spain (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón y Ortiz), in English: Eleanor of All The Saints of Bourbon and Ortiz, born 31 October 2005, in Madrid, is the first child of Felipe, the Prince of Asturias and his wife Princess Letizia, and thus second... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority in order to have effect. ... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ...

Amnesty International has also proposed that the Constitution abolish the death penalty. The current redaction allows it only during wartime, but it has since been removed from the Code of Military Justice and, hence, lost all factuality. Amnesty International (commonly known as Amnesty or AI) is a non-governmental organization that promotes human rights. ... Capital punishment, or the death penalty, is the execution of a convicted criminal by the state as punishment for crimes known as capital crimes or capital offences. ...

Protected provisions

Title X of the Constitution determines that the approval of a new constitution or the approval of any constitutional amendment affecting the Preliminary Title, or Section I of Capter II of Title I (on Fundamental Rights and Public Liberties) or Title II (on the Crown) --the so-called "protected provisions"-- are subject to a special process that requires (1) that two thirds of each House approve the amendment, (2) that elections are called immediately, (3) that two thirds of each new Houses approves the amendment, and (4) that the amendment is approved by the people in referendum.

It is worth noting that Title X does not include itself among the "protected provisions" and, therefore, at least in theory, it would be possible to first amend Title X to delete this special procedure, and then change the "protected provisions".

The reform of the autonomy statutes

The plan conducted by the Basque president Juan José Ibarretxe (known as Ibarretxe Plan) to reform the status of the Basque Country in the Spanish state has been rejected by the Spanish Cortes, on the grounds (among others) that it amounts to an implicit reform of the Constitution. The President of the Basque Country is referred to as Lehendakari (literally, firstlier) in Basque, or Eusko Jaurlaritzako Lehendakari (President of the Basque Government); the Spanish title is Presidente del Gobierno Vasco. ... Juan José Ibarretxe Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born May 15, 1957) is a Basque politician. ... For the traditional overall Basque domain, see Basque Country (historical territory). ...

The People's Party has attempted to reject the admission in Cortes of the 2005 reform of the Autonomy Statute of Catalonia on the grounds that it should be dealt with as a constitutional reform rather than a mere statute reform. On June 18, 2006, a referendum altering the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 1979 to expand the authority of the Catalan government was approved in a referendum, and became effective as of August 9, 2006. ...

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Spanish Constitution of 1978

• Spanish full text at the site of the 25th anniversary, also in Catalan/Valencian, Basque, Galician and . Unofficial translations in English French.
• Constitución española de 1978 at Wikisource