GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN Issue 1

11



GOVERNMENT
OF SPAIN
VOL 1 ISSUE 1
2014



Background:
On December 27, 1978 the King of
Spain signed the Constitution. The
King is the Chief of State and the
president is the Head of Government.
There is a cabinet and the power is
divided into the executive, legislative,
and judicial branches.
Government type:
Parliamentary
Monarchy
Executive branch:
The executive branch consists of the King, the
President and the Cabinet.
Elections: The monarchy (king) is hereditary. The
president is proposed by the king (usually the
leader of the majority party) and voted on by the
National Assembly
Legislative branch:
The legislative branch is bicameral and consists of the General
Courts (Las Cortes Generales) A.K.A the National Assembly
and Congress Deputies (Congresso de los Diputados)
Elections: 208 of the seats in the General Courts are directly
elected by popular vote. The other seats are appointed by the
regional legislatures. 248 of the Congress of Deputies are
elected by proportional representation based on popular vote.
The other seats are filled by 2 members of each of the 50
electoral provinces.
Judicial branch:
The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court (Tribunal
Supremo), and several subordinate courts. There are four
rooms within the Supreme Court headed by a president and a
select amount of magistrates (Penal: 14, Administrative: 32,
Social: 12, and Military 7)
Elections: The Supreme Court judges (total of 12 judges) are
appointed by the monarch from the candidates that are
proposed by the General Council of the Judicial Power.
Royal family of Spain: King Felipe VI,
Queen Letizia, and daughters
Current President
Mariano Rajoy