Spain

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Spain

Constitution (history) King Juan Carlos I Government President of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero Council of Ministers Cortes Generales Senate Congress of Deputies Leader of the Opposition Political parties Elections 1977 – 79 – 82 – 86 – 89 – 93 – 96 – 2000 – 04 – 08 Judiciary Constitutional Court General Council of the Judiciary Power Supreme Court Audiencia Nacional Regional High Courts and Provincial Courts People's Defender (Ombudsman) Autonomous communities Regional governments Regional legislatures Provinces, comarcas and municipalities Human rights Foreign relations and EU politics

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Politics of Spain takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic constitutional monarchy, whereby the Monarch is the Head of State and the President of the Government is the head of government in a multi-party system. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. Spain 's first Constitution was passed in 1812 A list of the different Spanish constitutional laws follows Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic Chief of State King Juan Carlos I, since November 22 1975; Queen Sofia Prince of Asturias Felipe The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current (1977 - 1979 Council of Ministers of Spain (Constituting Legislature (1979 - 1982 Council of Ministers of Spain (1st Legislature (1982 The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. The Spanish Senate ( Senado de España in Spanish) is the upper house of Spain 's Parliament, the Cortes Generales. The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch. The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Political parties in Spain lists political parties in Spain. Spain has a system similar to a Two-party system, which means that there are two dominant Elections in Spain gives information on Election and election results in Spain. The Spanish general election of 1977 took place on June 15. It was the first election since the death of Francisco Franco. General elections were held in Spain on 1 March 1979. General elections were held in Spain on 28 October 1982.PSOE and PSC presented two different lists of candidates with the PSOE contesting most of Spain General elections were held in Spain on 23 June 1986. In this election the Communist Party of Spain merged with other minor left parties to form the coalition General elections were held in Spain on 29 October 1989. Results General elections were held in Spain on 3 March 1993. Results General elections were held in Spain on March 3 1996. The Prime Minister Felipe González of PSOE lost the elections to Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. The incumbent People's Party of Prime Minister José María Aznar was Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. The Constitutional Court of Spain (Tribunal Constitucional de España is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of The General Council of the Judicial Power is the constitutional body which governs all the Judiciary of Spain, such as Courts and Judges as it is 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 ("National Court of Spain" is a high court in Spain. An ombudsman ( English plural conventionally ombudsmen) is an official usually (but not always appointed by the government or by parliament who is charged with An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. Autonomous Communities Andalusia - Andalusian Parliament Aragon - Cortes de Aragón Asturias In addition to its autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty Provinces. In Spain traditionally and historically some Autonomous communities are also divided into comarcas (singular comarca) The municipalities of Spain (municipios 8111 in total are the basic level of Spanish Local government. Spain is a democracy with a Constitutional monarch. The Cortes Generales consists of two Chambers, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate After the return of Democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975 Spain 's Foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is vested in the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Central legislative power is vested in the two chambers of parliament. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Contents 1 Political developments 2 The Crown 3 Executive power 4 Legislative branch 5 Political parties and elections 6 Judiciary 7 Administrative divisions 7.1 Regional 7.2 Provincial 7.3 Municipal 8 The nationality debate 9 ETA & GRAPO 10 Armed Islamic fundamentalism in Spain 11 Political pressure groups 12 International organization participation 13 References

Political developments

Parliamentary democracy was restored following the death of General Franco in 1975, who had ruled since the end of the civil war in 1939. A parliamentary system, also known as parliamentarianism (and parliamentarism in American English) is a System of government in which Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of The 1978 constitution established Spain as a parliamentary monarchy, with the President of the Government (equivalent to Prime Minister) responsible to the bicameral Cortes Generales (Cortes) elected every 4 years. The Constitution of Spain is regarded as the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy. A constitutional monarchy, or a limited monarchy, is a form of Constitutional Government, wherein either an elected or hereditary Monarch is The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. On 23 February 1981, in an event known as "23-F", rebel elements among the security forces seized the Cortes and tried to impose a military-backed government. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 23-F is the name given to a failed Coup d'état in Spain that started on February 23, 1981 and ended the next day on February 24, The Civil Guard ( Guardia Civil) is the Spanish Gendarmerie. It has both military and civilian functions However, the great majority of the military forces remained loyal to King Juan Carlos, who used his personal and constitutional authority as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, to put down the bloodless coup attempt. Early life Juan Carlos was born in Rome, where his grandfather Alfonso XIII of Spain lived in exile after the proclamation of the Second Spanish Republic

In October 1982, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), led by Felipe González Márquez, swept both the Congress of Deputies and Senate, winning an absolute majority. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is Felipe González Márquez (born 5 March 1942 is a Spanish socialist politician González and the PSOE ruled for the next 13 years. During that period, Spain joined NATO and the European Community. The North Atlantic Treaty The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 Spain also developed social laws, as well as programmes in Education, Health and Work.

In March 1996, José María Aznar's People's Party (PP) received more votes than any other party, winning almost half the seats in the Congress. (born 25 February 1953 served as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004 The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. Aznar moved to liberalize the economy, with a program of privatizations, labor market reform, and measures designed to increase competition in selected markets, principally telecommunications. Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the Public sector (government to the Private sector (business Labour economics seeks to understand the functioning of the Market and dynamics for labour. Competition is a rivalry between individuals groups nations or animals for territory or resources During Aznar's first term, Spain qualified for the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union. In economics a Monetary union is a situation where several countries have agreed to share a single currency amongst themselves During this period, Spain participated, along with the United States and other NATO allies, in military operations in the former Yugoslavia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian, Slovene, Macedonian: Spanish planes took part in the air war against Serbia in 1999 and Spanish armed forces and police personnel are included in the international peacekeeping forces in Bosnia (IFOR, SFOR) and Kosovo (KFOR). The term Kosovo War or Kosovo Conflict is often used to describe two sequential and at times parallel armed conflicts in Kosovo: 1996–1999 Peacekeeping, as defined by the United Nations, is "a way to help countries torn by conflict create conditions for sustainable peace Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Latin script: Bosna i Hercegovina, Cyrillic script: Босна и Херцеговина is a country on the Balkan The Implementation Force ( IFOR) was a NATO -led multinational force in Bosnia and Herzegovina under a one year mandate from 20 December The Stabilisation Force (SFOR was a NATO -led multinational force in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was tasked with upholding the Dayton Agreement. The Kosovo Force ( KFOR) is a NATO -led international force responsible for establishing a safe and secure environment in Kosovo, the self-proclaimed independent

Prime Minister Aznar and the PP won reelection in March 2000, obtaining absolute majorities in both houses of parliament. This mandate allowed Aznar to form a government unencumbered by the coalition building that had characterized his earlier administration. A coalition is an alliance among individuals during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own Self-interest. As Prime Minister, Aznar was a staunch supporter of transatlantic relations and the War on Terrorism. The War on Terrorism (also known as the War on Terror) is the common term for the military political and legal, and ideological conflict and specifically for U For the March 2004 elections the PP named First Vice President Mariano Rajoy to replace him as the People's Party candidate. Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Mariano Rajoy Brey (maˈɾjano raˈxoj (born March 27 1955) is a Spanish Politician.

However, in the aftermath of the March 11 terrorist bomb attacks in Madrid, the PP lost the 2004 elections to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and its leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current Rodríquez Zapatero was appointed Prime Minister after having secured the support of a few minor parties. He nominated the first Spanish government ever to have the same number of male and female ministers.

In the 2008 general elections, Prime Minister Zapatero and the PSOE got reelected by a plurality, short of a majority. He was elected Prime Minister April 11 by 169 votes to 158, with 23 abstaining.

The Crown

Article 1. 3. of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 lays down that "the political form of the Spanish State is that of a Parliamentary Monarchy". ^[1]

Art. 56 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 lays down that:

• 1. The King is the Head of State and Supreme Commander in Chief of the armed forces, the symbol of its unity and permanence. He arbitrates and moderates the regular working of the institutions, assumes the highest representation of the Spanish State in international relations, especially with those nations belonging to the same historic community, and performs the functions expressly conferred on him by the Constitution and the law.

• 2. His title is King of Spain, and he may use the other titles appertaining to the Crown.

• 3. The person of the King is inviolable and shall not be held accountable. His acts shall always be countersigned in the manner established in Article 64. Without such countersignature they shall not be valid, except as provided under Article 65,2.

Art. 57 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 lays down that:

• 1. The Crown of Spain shall be inherited by the successors of H. M. Juan Carlos I de Borbon, the legitimate heir of the historic dynasty. Succession to the throne shall follow the regular order of primogeniture and representation, in the following order of precedence: the earlier shall precede the more distant; within the same degree, the male shall precede the female; and for the same sex, the older shall precede the younger.

Art. 62 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 lays down that it is incumbent upon the King:

• a) to sanction the laws and promulgate them;

• b) to summon and dissolve the Cortes Generales and to call elections;

• c) to call a referendum;

• d) to propose a candidate for President of the Government and, as the case may be, appoint him or remove him from office;

• e) to appoint and dismiss members of the Government;

• f) to issue the decrees agreed upon by the Council of Ministers, to confer civil and military employments and award honours and distinctions;

• g) to keep himself informed regarding affairs of State and, for this purpose, to preside over the meetings of the Council of Ministers whenever he deems opportune;

• h) to exercise supreme command of the Armed Forces;

• i) to exercise the right to grant pardons;

• j) to exercise the High Patronage of the Royal Academies.

Art. 63 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 lays down that:

• 1. The King accredits ambassadors and other diplomatic representatives. Foreign representatives in Spain are accredited to him.

• 2. It is incumbent on the King to express the State's assent to the entering into of international commitments through treaties.

• 3. It is incumbent on the King, after authorization by the Cortes Generales, to declare war and to make peace.

Executive power

Executive power in Spain lies with the Council of Ministers (Spanish Consejo de Ministros). José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born 4 August 1960 better known by his maternal surname Zapatero (literally "shoemaker" in Spanish is the current The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government President of the Government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero First Vice President Minister It is headed by the President of the Government (Prime Minister) who is nominated by the King, confirmed by a vote of the lower house of parliament and then appointed by the king. The Prime Minister of Spain, (officially the President of the Government, Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno) is the Spanish Head of government After a candidate has been nominated he must win a majority of the votes of the lower house, failing which, a second vote will be held where he only needs a plurality of votes. The Prime Minister designates the rest of the members of the Council who are then appointed by the king. He directs the activities of the government as a whole. The President of the Government can also designate various vice presidents (although it is not mandatory). There is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government.

Legislative branch

On the national level, Spain directly elects a legislature, the Cortes Generales (literally: General Courts), which consists of two chambers, the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) and the Senate (Senado). A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation The Cortes Generales ( Spanish for General Courts or Cortes Españolas, Spanish Courts) is the Legislature of Spain. In Government, bicameralism (bi + Latin la ''camera'' chamber is the practice of having two legislative or Parliamentary chambers Thus a bicameral The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch. The Spanish Senate ( Senado de España in Spanish) is the upper house of Spain 's Parliament, the Cortes Generales. The Congress and Senate serve concurrent terms that run for a maximum of four years.

There are two essential differences between the two houses. The first is by way of electoral practice. Both are elected on a provincial basis. The number of seats in Congress is allocated in proportion to population. However, this is only done after each province (with the exception of Ceuta and Melilla) has been given two members. Ceuta is one of the 52 electoral districts (circunscripciones used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament the Melilla is one of the 52 electoral districts (circunscripciónes used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament the The result of this is a slight over-representation for the smaller provinces. For example the smallest province, Soria, with an electorate of 78,531, elected 2 members of congress (or 1 for every 39,265 voters) while Madrid, the largest, with 4,458,540 voters, elected 35 members of congress (or 1 for every 127,387 voters). Soria is one of the 52 electoral districts (circunscripciónes used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament the Madrid is one of the 52 electoral districts (circunscripciones used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament the In the Senate the members are elected on a provincial basis ^[2]. The electoral system used is different with proportional party closed lists being used for Congress and the Senate elected by partial bloc voting. Additionally some senators are designated by the Autonomous legislatures. The second difference is in legislative power. With few exceptions, every law is approved with the votes of Congress. The Senate can make changes or refuse laws but the Congress can ignore these amendments.

Political parties and elections

Main article: Spanish legislative election, 2008

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 9 March 2008 Congress of Deputies election results

Parties and alliances	Votes	%	Change	Seats	Change
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español)	11,288,698	43. Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain 's Legislative branch. Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is 87	+1. 28	169	+5
People's Party (Partido Popular)	10,277,809	39. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. 94	+2. 22	154	+6
United Left (Izquierda Unida)	969,871	3. United Left ( Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. 77	-1. 19	2	-3
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió) Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) Democratic Union of Catalonia (Unió Democràtica de Catalunya)	779,425	3. Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió CiU) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia ( Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. 03	–0. 20	10	±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea)	306,128	1. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. 19	–0. 44	6	–1
Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia)	306,078	1. Union Progress and Democracy (Unión Progreso y Democracia UPD or officially UPyD) is a Spanish political party founded in September 19	—	1	+1
Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya)	298,139	1. The Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ERC) is a left-wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain campaigning for 16	–1. 36	3	–5
Galician Nationalist Bloc (Bloque Nacionalista Galego) Union of the Galician People (Unión do Povo Galego) Nationalist Left (Esquerda Nacionalista) Galician Unity (Unidade Galega) Socialist Collective (Colectivo Socialista) Inzar Galician Nationalist Party–Galeguista Party (Partido Nacionalista Galego–Partido Galeguista)	212,543	0. The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG) is a Galician nationalist coalition of political parties 83	+0. 02	2	±0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria)	174,629	0. The Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria is a nationalist and liberal party in the Canary Isles of Spain. 68	–0. 23	2	–1
Navarre Yes (Nafarroa Bai) Basque Solidarity (Eusko Alkartasuna) Aralar Batzarre Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea)	62,398	0. Navarre Yes or Nafarroa Bai ( Basque) is a Navarrese ( Spain) coalition of both left and rightwing Basque nationalist parties which was Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. Aralar is a Basque socialist and separatist Political party in Spain. Zutik ("Standing" is a Political party in Basque Country, Spain. The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. 24	±0. 0	1	±0
Basque Solidarity (Eusko Alkartasuna)	50,371	0. Eusko Alkartasuna is a Basque nationalist political party operating in Spain and France. 20	–0. 12	0	–1
Aragonese Union (Chunta Aragonesista)	38,202	0. Chunta Aragonesista ( CHA) is a Nationalist and social democratic party of Aragon (a region of Spain) influenced by Socialism 15	–0. 22	0	–1
Total (turnout %)				350	0[3]
Source: Spanish Interior Ministry election results database

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 9 March 2008 Senate of Spain election results

Parties and alliances	Seats	Change
People's Party (Partido Popular)	101	–1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español)	88	+7
Entesa Catalana de Progrés Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) Socialists' Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya) Initiative for Catalonia Greens (Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds) United and Alternative Left (Esquerra Unida i Alternativa)	12	±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea)	2	–4
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió) Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) Democratic Union of Catalonia (Unió Democràtica de Catalunya)	4	±0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria)	1	–2
Members appointed by the regional legislatures	56	+5[4]
Total (turnout  %)	264	+5
Source: Spanish Interior Ministry election results database

Spaniards started voting in the Spanish general election, 2008 on March 9, 2008, after a divisive campaign dominated by a cooling economy and concerns over immigration but jolted by a last-minute killing by suspected Basque separatists (ETA). Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common The Spanish Senate ( Senado de España in Spanish) is the upper house of Spain 's Parliament, the Cortes Generales. Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. The People's Party ( Spanish: Partido Popular, PP) is the main right Political party in Spain. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials PSOE ( P artido S ocialista O brero E spañol is The Catalan Agreement of Progress (Entesa Catalana de Progrés ECP) is a union of left wing and Catalan political parties in Catalonia. The Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ERC) is a left-wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain campaigning for Socialists' Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya PSC is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. Initiative for Catalonia Greens ( Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds, ICV is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. United and Alternative Left ( Catalan: Esquerra Unida i Alternativa, EUiA) is a Political party from Catalonia, Spain The Basque Nationalist Party is the largest political party in the Basque Autonomous Community. Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió CiU) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia ( Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a Political party in Catalonia, Spain. The Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria is a nationalist and liberal party in the Canary Isles of Spain. Legislative elections for the Spanish Cortes Generales were held on March 9, 2008. Events 590 - Bahram Chobin is crowned as king Barham VI of Persia. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Transition to a modern economy What is now the 8th largest economy in the world has evolved from the regulated economy of Francoism as the latter started to fade out in Immigration refers to the movement of people among countries While the movement of people has existed throughout human history at various levels modern immigration implies long-term The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist [1]

Judiciary

The Spanish Judiciary is exercised by professional Judges and Magistrates and composed of different courts depending on The Jurisdictional Order and what is to be judged, the highest ranking court of the judicial structure in Spain is the Supreme Court. A judge, or justice, is an Official who presides over a Court of law A magistrate is a judicial officer In Common law systems a magistrate usually has limited authority to administer and enforce the Law. The Supreme Court of Spain is the highest judicial body in Spain for all matters not pertaining to the Constitution. The role of the judiciary is governed by the General Council Of the Judiciary Power of Spain whose Chairperson is also the Chairperson of the Supreme Court. See also Audiencia Nacional. The Audiencia Nacional de España ("National Court of Spain" is a high court in Spain.

Administrative divisions

Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas, singular - comunidad autónoma); Andalucía (Andalusia), Aragón, Asturias, Illes Balears (Balearic Islands), Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalunya (Catalonia), Comunidad Valenciana (Valencian Community), Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra (Navarre) and País Vasco (Basque Country). An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. Andalusia (Andalucía is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the most populous and the second largest in terms of land area Aragon ( Spanish: "Aragón") is an autonomous community of Spain. The Principality of Asturias ( Spanish: Principado de Asturias, Asturian: Principáu d'Asturies or Asturies) is an The Balearic Islands ( Catalan and official Illes Balears; Spanish: Islas Baleares) are an Archipelago in the western Mediterranean The Canary Islands ( English pronunciation kəˈnæriː ˈaɪləndz Spanish: Islas Canarias, ˈizlas kaˈnarjas are a Spanish Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain.
Note: There are five places of sovereignty near Morocco: Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomous cities, with more powers than cities but fewer than autonomous communities; Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administrations. Ceuta is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African side of the Strait of Gibraltar, which Melilla is an autonomous city of Spain located on the Mediterranean, on the North African coast Islas Chafarinas (Chafarinas Islands are a group of three small Islets located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Morocco with an aggregate area Peñón de Alhucemas, or "Lavender Rock" is one of the Spanish Plazas de soberanía just off the Moroccan coast Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera is one of the Spanish occupied territories in North Africa off the Moroccan coast ( Plazas de soberanía)

Regional

The 1978 constitution authorised the creation of regional autonomous governments. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. By 1985, 17 regions covering all of peninsular Spain, the Canaries and the Balearic Islands had passed a Charter of Autonomy. In 1979, the first autonomous elections were held in the Basque and Catalan regions, which have the strongest nationalist movements. Since then, autonomous governments have been created in the remainder of the 17 regions.

The central government continues to devolve powers to the regional governments, which might eventually have full responsibility for health care and education, as well as other social programs. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level This process is limited by the exclusive powers of the state in article 149 of the Spanish Constitution.

All autonomous communities are ruled by a government elected by a unicameral legislature.

Spain is, at present, what is called a State of Autonomies, formally unitary but, in fact, functioning almost as a Federation of Autonomous Communities, each one with different powers (for instance, some have their own educational and health systems co-ordinated by the Central government, co-official language and particular cultural identity) and laws. A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. A federation ( Latin: foedus, covenant is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal" An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution. There are some differences within this system, since power has been devolved from the centre to the periphery asymmetrically, with some autonomous governments (especially those dominated by nationalist parties) seeking a more federalist kind of relationship with Spain, now the Central Government is dealing with autonomous governments for the transfer of more autonomy. This system of asymmetrical devolution has been described as a coconstitutionalism and has similarities to the devolution process adopted by the United Kingdom since 1997. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level Coconstitutionalism is where two institutional cultures exist in a complex semi-automous relationship to each other The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located At the same time, integration in the European Union causes the succession of powers from the State to the European institutions.

Provincial

In the communities with more than one province the government is held by the diputación provincial (literally Provincial Deputation). With the creation of Autonomous Communities, deputations have lost much of their power except for those single-province communities, where deputations have been absorbed by the Autonomous power, and in the Basque Autonomous Community where the power of deputations remains very strong. The Basque Country ( Basque Euskadi, Spanish País Vasco) is an autonomous community in northern Spain. The members of provincial deputations are indirectly elected by citizens according to the results of municipal elections, and all of their members must be councillors of a town or city in the province, except in the Basque Provinces where direct elections take place. Some Spanish politicians have called for the abolition of provincial deputations.

Provincial Deputations are considered by law as Local Administrations and are regulated by the Regulating Act of the Bases of the Local regime of 1985. Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar)

Municipal

Spanish municipal administration is highly homogeneous, most of the municipalities having the same powers, such as municipal police, traffic enforcement, urban planning and development, social services, municipal taxes and civil defence, and the same rules of membership and leadership. Municipal police are Law enforcement agencies that are under the control of Local government, where is it the smallest Administrative subdivision. Social work is a discipline involving the application of Social theory and research methods to study and improve the lives of people groups and societies Civil defense or civil defence (see spelling differences) is an effort to prepare Civilians for Military attack

Most Spanish municipalities are ruled in a parliamentary style, where citizens elect the municipal council, that acts as a sort of legislative body, that is responsible for electing the mayor who can appoint a board of governors out of councillors of his party or coalition as an executive. The only exception for this rule is in municipalities of under 50 inhabitants, which act as an open council, with a directly elected mayor and an assembly of neighbours as control and legislative body.

Membership of Municipal councils in Spain is chosen in municipal elections held every four years at the same time over Spain, and councillors are allotted using the D'Hondt method for proportional representation, with the exception of municipalities of under 100 inhabitants where bloc voting is used. The D'Hondt method (mathematically but not operationally equivalent to Jefferson's method, and Bader-Ofer method) is a Highest averages method for The number of Councillors is determined by the population of the municipality, the smallest municipalities having 5 and Madrid (the biggest) 55. Madrid (pronounced in English in Spanish and colloquially in Spain) is the Capital and largest city of Spain.

The nationality debate

Main article: Nationalities in Spain

In order to understand the political forces and debates in Spain two dimensions have to be considered: the Right vs. Historically, the modern country of Spain was formed by the accretion of several independent Iberian realms ( Asturias, León, Galicia Left dimension and the Nation State vs. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy Plurinational State dimension. The political parties' agendas and the individual citizens' opinions can only be understood when looked at on both dimensions. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Spain states that 1) it is a Nation and 2) that it is formed by Nationalities and Regions. This statement is a contradiction (since Nationality and Nation essentially mean the same thing in political theory), but it was an agreement that struck a balance between the political parties advocating the nation state and those advocating the plurinational state. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy The territorial organization of Spain into Autonomous Communities of Spain is the administrative realization of this constitutional balancing act. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution.

Historically, parties advocating the Nation State claim that there is only one Nation and favour a State with a highly-powered government (with some degree of regional decentralization). A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Nationalist Catalan, Basque and Galician political parties claim to represent their respective 'nations', different from the 'Spanish nation'. These political parties share the belief that the Kingdom of Spain is a state formed by four 'nations', namely the Catalan nation, the Basque nation, the Galician nation and what might be called the Castilian-Spanish nation (for lack of better word, since they would simply call it Spain). A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. Catalonia (Cataluña Catalunya Aranese: Catalonha) is an Autonomous Community in the northeast part of Spain. Galicia (occasionally Galiza) is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Some of these parties often mention Switzerland as a model of Plurinational State shared by German, French, and Italian nationalities, while others advocate independence. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation Notice that these nations/nationalities are related to, but different from the current administrative borders of the Autonomous Communities of Spain. An autonomous community is a first-level political division of the Kingdom of Spain, established in accordance with the Spanish Constitution.

The current situation can be understood as the sum of two historical failures: 1) the Nation State parties were unable to build a unified Nation State such as France, the model that the political and territorial organization of Spain has followed, while 2) the "national resistance" movements (specially Catalans and Basques) were also unable to break free from the Spanish state. For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy For the online game see Jennifer Government NationStates. The nation-state is a certain form of State that derives its legitimacy A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population.

ETA & GRAPO

The Government of Spain has been involved in a long-running campaign against Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA), an armed secessionist organization founded in 1959 in opposition to Franco and dedicated to promoting Basque independence through violent means. eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist Violence is the exertion of force so as to injure or abuse The word is used broadly to describe the destructive action of natural phenomena like Storms and Earthquakes They consider themselves a guerrilla organization and are considered internationally as a terrorist organisation. Guerrilla warfare is the unconventional warfare and combat with which a small group of combatants use mobile tactics (ambushes raids etc Terrorism is the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion Although the Basque Autonomous government does not condone any kind of violence, their different approaches to the separatist movement are a source of tension between the Central and Basque governments.

Initially ETA targeted primarily Spanish security forces, military personnel and Spanish Government officials. As the security forces and prominent politicians improved their own security, ETA increasingly focused its attacks on the tourist seasons (scaring tourists was seen as a way of putting pressure on the government, given the sector's importance to the economy) and local government officials in the Basque Country. The group carried out numerous bombings against Spanish Government facilities and economic targets, including a car bomb assassination attempt on then-opposition leader Aznar in 1995, in which his armored car was destroyed but he was unhurt. Civilian armored cars are either (in only a few cases factory produced such as the Audi A6 and A8, Lincoln Town Car BPS the Mercedes-Benz S-Class The Spanish Government attributes over 800 deaths to ETA during its campaign of terrorism.

On 17 May 2005, all the parties in the Congress of Deputies, except the PP, passed the Central Government's motion giving approval to the beginning of peace talks with ETA, without making political concessions and with the requirement that it give up its weapons. PSOE, CiU, ERC, PNV, IU-ICV, CC and the mixed group —BNG, CHA, EA y NB— supported it with a total of 192 votes, while the 147 PP parliamentarians objected. ETA declared a "permanent cease-fire" that came into force on March 24, 2006 and was broken by Barajas T4 International Airport Bombings on December 30, 2006. In the years leading up to the permanent cease-fire, the government had had more success in controlling ETA, due in part to increased security cooperation with French authorities.

Spain has also contended with a Marxist resistance group, commonly known as GRAPO. Marxism is the political philosophy and practice derived from the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Antifascist Resistance Groups October First (in Spanish: Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre, generally known by its abbreviation GRAPO GRAPO is an urban guerrilla group that seeks to overthrow the Spanish Government and establish a Marxist state. Urban guerrilla redirects here For the Hawkwind song see Urban Guerrilla. It opposes Spanish participation in NATO and U. The North Atlantic Treaty S. presence in Spain and has a long history of assassinations, bombings, bank robberies and kidnappings mostly against Spanish interests during the 1970s and 1980s.

In a June 2000 communiqué following the explosions of two small devices in Barcelona, GRAPO claimed responsibility for several attacks throughout Spain during the past year. These attacks included two failed armored car robberies, one in which two security officers died, and four bombings of political party offices during the 1999-2000 election campaign. In 2002, Spanish authorities were successful in hampering the organization's activities through sweeping arrests, including some of the group's leadership. GRAPO is not capable of maintaining the degree of operational capability that they once enjoyed. Most members of the groups are either in jail or abroad.

Armed Islamic fundamentalism in Spain

Al Qaeda has been known to operate cells in Spain, both logistically to support operations in other countries and with the potential to mount attacks within Spain itself. Al-Qaeda, alternatively spelled al-Qaida, al-Qa`ida or al-Qa`idah, ( Arabic:; ar-Latn ''al-qāʿidah'' Translation: The Spanish investigative services and the judicial system have aggressively sought to arrest and prosecute their members, with the most notable raid occurring in Barcelona in January 2003. In that effort, Spanish authorities arrested 16 suspected terrorists and seized explosives and other chemicals. Spain also actively cooperates with foreign governments to diminish the transnational terrorist threat.

Spain suffered a shocking terrorist attack, the March 11, 2004 Madrid attacks on its capital's commuter train network, killing 191 persons. Al-Qaeda has been blamed for this attack. Some have attributed the fall of the Aznar's government to this attack, which took place just four days before the 2004 elections. At first the Government and media accused ETA for the bombing. As the facts about its organisation by Islamic fundamentalism were appearing many voters lashed out at the public media and Aznar's government, believing the two had colluded to deceive the public since the Spanish government's support of the war in Iraq might be blamed as the trigger for the attack, a war which a considerable number of Spaniards had opposed, and therefore, many Spaniards believed Aznar's government had tried to deceive the public because of the elections.

One of the first moves of Prime Minister Zapatero was to pull all Spanish troops out of Iraq, but at the same time he increased the amount of soldiers in Afghanistan, believing that the nation represented a clear terrorist threat. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت,

Political pressure groups

• Business and landowning interests (CEOE, CEPYME);
• Free labour unions (authorised in April 1977, which meant the legalisation of previous clandestine unions and the creation of new ones). Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales ( Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organizations) or CEOE, is a Spanish institution founded Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays The most powerful unions are the Workers' Commissions or CC. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The Workers' Commissions ( Spanish: Comisiones Obreras, OO. and the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The Unión General de Trabajadores ( UGT, Workers' General Union There are many others, in which workers unionise according to their trade or their ideology: Workers Syndical Union or USO, Solidarity of Basque Workers (ELA, Basque), Galician Inter-Unions Confederation (CIG, Galician). "USO" redirects here for other uses see USO (disambiguation The United Service Organizations Inc
• Catholic Church and other religious organisations (such as Opus Dei)) campaign to influence governments' policies. Opus Dei, formally known as The Prelature of the Holy Cross and Opus Dei, is a part of the Roman Catholic Church that teaches the Catholic belief that everyone
• Armed rebellion: Basque Country and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use violence to oppose the government. eu '''Euskadi Ta Askatasuna''' or ETA ( Basque for "Basque Homeland and Freedom" ˈɛːta is an illegal armed Basque nationalist Separatist Antifascist Resistance Groups October First (in Spanish: Grupos de Resistencia Antifascista Primero de Octubre, generally known by its abbreviation GRAPO They are considered terrorists by the state and most of the population.

International organization participation

Spain is member of AfDh, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, Zangger Committee

References

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