Government and Politics of Spain

Government Type

parliamentary monarchy

Administrative Divisions

19 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)

Legal System

civil law system, with regional applications; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Spain dual citizenship recognized: only with select Latin American countries residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years for persons with no ties to Spain

Executive Branch

chief of state: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014); Heir Apparent Princess LEONOR, daughter of the monarch, born 31 October 2005 head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister) Pedro SANCHEZ (since 2 June 2018); First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister Maria Jesus MONTERO (since 2024); Second Vice President Yolanda DIAZ (since 2021) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president and appointed by the monarch note: there is also a Council of State that serves as the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed as president by the monarch and then elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 23 July 2023 (next to be held in 2027); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president election results: Pedro SANCHEZ (PSOE) re-elected president following the July 2023 general election; after coalition negotiations, SANCHEZ secured a parliamentary investiture vote in November 2023, returning to the presidency with support from a coalition of left-wing and regional parties

Legislative Branch

bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE 38.9%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC 1.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%, CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 2, CC 3, other 8

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo

Political Parties

Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN y LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA) [leader NA]; Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA]; Party of Independents from Lanzarote or PIL [Dimas MARTIN Martin]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES]

Head of State

JUAN CARLOS I

Head of Government

Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO

Cabinet

Council of Ministers designated by the president

Elections

the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11 April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president

Election Results

the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 9 and 11 April 2008 (next to be held in March 2012); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president election results: Jose Luis Rodriguez ZAPATERO reelected President of the Government; percent of National Assembly vote - 46.9%

Constitution

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

Independence

the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Moslem occupation that began in the early 8th Century A. D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost

National Holiday

National Day, 12 October

International Organization Participation

AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340 FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr. embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642 telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200 FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303 consulate(s) general: Barcelona

Capital City

Madrid

Location

40 24 N, 3 41 W

Time Difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Spain has two time zones, including the Canary Islands (UTC 0)

History

the Romans named the original settlement "Matrice" after the river that ran through it; under Arab rule it became "Majerit," meaning "source of water"; in medieval Romance dialects (Mozarabic) it became "Matrit," which over time changed to "Madrid"

U.S. Embassy Madrid Calle Serrano, 75 28006 Madrid, Spain Telephone: (34) 91 587 2240 Emergency after-hours telephone: (34) 91 587 2200 Ask to speak to the duty officer if you need emergency assistance outside business hours. Facsimile: (34) 91 587 2303 E-mail: askacs@state.gov Website: U.S. Embassy Madrid U.S. Consulate General Barcelona Paseo Reina Elisenda de Montcada, 23-25 08034 Barcelona, Spain Telephone: (34) 93 280 2227 Emergency after-hours telephone: (34) 91 587 2200 Ask to speak to the duty officer if you need emergency assistance outside business hours. Facsimile: (34) 93 280 6175 E-mail: BarcelonaACS@state.gov Website: U.S. Consulate General Barcelona Routine and emergency services for U.S. citizens are provided by the American Citizens Services section of the Consular Section at the U.S. Embassy. Appointments are required for routine consular services. Additional information is available through the U.S. Citizen Services page on the Embassy’s website. To make an appointment, please visit the U.S. Embassy's online appointment system for U.S. Citizen Services. The U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona provides many services for U.S. citizens, including emergency passport services. The American Citizens Services section’s assistance also includes, but is not limited to, routine passport services, notary services, and Consular Reports of Births Abroad. The Consulate General also assists in emergencies, including deaths, arrests and crisis situations. You need to make an online appointment for routine consular services. For assistance regarding Andorra, please contact the U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona. U.S. Consular Agencies: There are six consular agencies in Spain, which provide limited services to U.S. citizens. Passport applications may be submitted at the agencies. However, the agencies are not authorized to issue passports and will forward the applications for processing. Anyone requesting service at one of the consular agencies should call ahead to verify that the service requested will be available on the day you expect to visit the agency. The agencies’ contact information is below. Please note that the emergency after-hours telephone number for all of Spain is: (34) 91 587 2200. Ask to speak to the duty officer if you call this number for emergency assistance outside business hours. U.S. Consular Agency Fuengirola (Málaga) Avenida Juan Gómez "Juanito", 8 Edificio Lucía 1º-C 29640 Fuengirola (Málaga), Spain Telephone: (34) 95 247 4891 Facsimile: (34) 95 246 5189 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. E-mail: conagencymalaga@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency Fuengirola (Málaga) U.S. Consular Agency A Coruña Calle Juana de Vega 8 Piso 5, Izquierda 15003 La Coruna, Spain Telephone: (34) 98 121 3233 Facsimile: (34) 98 122 2808 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. E-mail: acorunacons@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency A Coruña U.S. Consular Agency Las Palmas Edificio Arca Calle Los Martinez de Escobar 3, Oficina 7 35007 Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain Telephone: (34) 92 827 1259 Facsimile: (34) 92 822 5863 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. E-mail: canariascons@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency Las Palmas U.S. Consular Agency Palma de Mallorca at Edificio Reina Constanza Porto Pi, 8, 9-D 07015 Palma, Islas Baleares, Spain Telephone: (34) 97 140 3707 or (34) 97 140 3905 Facsimile: (34) 97 140 3971 Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. E-mail: pmagency@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency Palma de Mallorca U.S. Consular Agency Seville Plaza Nueva 8-8 duplicado 2nd Floor, Office E-2 No.4 41101 Sevilla, Spain Telephone: (34) 95 421 8751 Facsimile: (34) 95 422 0791 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. E-mail: sevillecons@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency Seville U.S. Consular Agency Valencia Doctor Romagosa 1, 2-J 46002 Valencia, Spain Telephone: (34) 96 351 6973 Facsimile: (34) 96 352 9565 Hours: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. E-mail: valenciacons@telefonica.net Website: U.S. Consular Agency Valencia

Military Branches

Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA)

Service Age and Obligation

18-26 years of age for voluntary military service by a Spanish citizen or legal immigrant, 2-3 year obligation; women allowed to serve in all SAF branches, including combat units; no conscription, but Spanish Government retains right to mobilize citizens 19-25 years of age in a national emergency; mandatory retirement of non-NCO enlisted personnel at age 45 or 58, depending on service length