You are on page 1of 3

Spain’s Government

Functions of the Head of State


The king of Spain is the head of state and the
commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
According to the constitution the king is a
symbol of peace and permanence and doesn’t
typically play major governing roles in the
country but is the highest representative of
Spain in international affairs. The powers of
the king include: ratify laws, arbitrate and
moderate the running of institutions, to
dissolve the government, and call for President of Spain, Mariano Rajoy Brey
elections, propose, appoint or fire president of
government and can preside over meeting of
the Council of Ministers at the invitation of
the President of Government

Spain’s flag
The Constitution in Spain
The Spanish Constitution was created in 1978 to
eliminate the dictatorship and make Spain a
parliamentary monarchy. The monarchy is expected
to uphold the sovereignty of the constitution. Even
though it’s stated in the constitution that the king is
the head of state, his position is a symbolic one and
is meant to promote national unity.

Spain’s constitution

Branches of the Government


Just like the United States, Spain has an executive,
legislative, and judicial branch. These branches act
under the constitution of Spain. The executive
consists of the President, vice-president, and the
Council of Ministers. The legislature is made up of
two chambers, the Congress of Deputies and the
Senate. The judiciary is independent from the
legislature and executive when executing its
functions and is governed by the General Council
which concists of lawyers and judges. The judiciary Façade of the Palace of the Cortes, seat of the
is also composed of three units, administrative, Congress of Deputies
criminal and labor. Just like the United States the
Supreme Court is the highest court in Spain and
each region has its own court.

The Electoral Process


Just like the United States there are different
elections for differential officials in the
government. The members of the Congress of
Deputies and the Senate are elected in general
elections, and the representatives of local and
regional autonomous governments are elected in
different elections. You must be a Spanish citizen
above the age of eighteen and a member of the
European Union in order to vote in elections.
Elections are typically held every four years.
Resources
Alfonsodetomas. Dreamstime. Vote Spanish
Presidential Election Badge. Retrieved
from: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-
illustration-vote-spanish-presidential-
elections-badge-spain-encouraging-election-
d-render-d-illustration-image77730908.

Maías, Fransisco. Library of


Congress.Bicentennial of the Promulgation
of the Spanish Constitution of1812 (March
19, 2012). Retrieved from:
https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2012/03/bicente
nnial-of-the-spanish-constitution-of-1812/.

Elisha Sawe, Benjamin. World Atlas. What


Type of Government Does Spain Have? (April
25, 2017). Retrieved from:
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what
-type-of-government-does-spain-have.html.

Wikipedia. Flag of Spain. Retrieved from:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Spai
n.

Torres, Diego. Politico. Marijano Tells


Spain: Choose me or the hard-left (May 25,
2016). Retrieved from:
https://www.politico.eu/article/podemos-
socialists-peoples-party-ciodadanos-
mariano-rajoys-warning-its-me-or-the-hard-
left/.

You might also like