Spain Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Official name: Spanish State

Type: parliamentary monarchy defined by new constitution of December 1978, that completed transition from authoritarian regime of the late Generalissimo Franco and confirmed Juan Carlos I as monarch, but without the exceptional powers inherited from Franco on being proclaimed King 22 November 1975

Capital: Madrid

Political subdivisions: metropolitan Spain, including the Canaries and Balearics, divided into 50 provinces, which form 17 autonomous regions assuming numerous powers previously exercised by the central government, also five places of sovereignty (presidios) on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco; transferred administration of Spanish Sahara to Morocco and Mauritania on 26 February 1976

Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; new constitution provides for rule of law, established jury system as well as independent constitutional court to rule on unconstitutionality of laws and to serve as court of last resort in protecting liberties and rights granted in constitution, does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: 24 June

Branches: executive, with King’s acts subject to countersignature, Prime Minister (Presidente) and his ministers responsible to lower house; bicameral legislature—Cortes

Generales. consisting of more powerful Congress of Deputies (350 members) and Senate (208 members), with possible addition of one to six members from each new autonomous region: judiciary, independent

Government leaders: JUAN CARLOS I, King (since November 1975); Felipe GONZALFZ Marquez, Prime Minister (Presidente; since December 1982)

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: parliamentary election 28 October 1982 for four-year term; local elections for municipal and provincal councils April 1983; regional elections staggered

Political parties and leaders principal national parties, from right to left—Popular Alliance (AP), Manuel Fraga Iribarne; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Oscar Alzaga; Liberal Union (UL), Jose Antonio Segurado; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Adolfo Suarez; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe Gonzalez Marquez; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Gerardo Iglesias, chief regional parties—Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi Pujol, in Catalonia, Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Herribert Barrera Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier Arzallus, Basque radical coalitions Popular Unity (HB) and Basque Left (EE) Juan Ilaria Bandres; Andalusian Party (PA), Luis Urufiuela, Democratic Reform Party (PRD), Antonio Garrigues Walker

Voting strength: (1982 parliamentary election in lower house) PSOE 46%, and 202 seats (26 seats over a majority); AP PDP and UL in coalition 25.4%, 106 seats; UCD 7.31%, 12 seats; PCE 3.9%, 4 seats; CiU 3.7%, 12 seats; CDS 2 9%, 2 seats, PNV 1.9%, 8 seats; HB 1%, 2 seats; EE .47%, 1 seat, ERC .47%, 1 seat; PA .33% Oseats

Communists: PCE membership has declined from a possible high of 160 000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 today, the party lost 64% of its voters and 20 deputies in the 1982 election; remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country’s two

major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about I million, experienced a modest recovery in 1983 municipal election receiving 8% of the vote

Other political or pressure groups: on the extreme left the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (FTA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government, free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); the Catholic Church; business and landowning interests; Opus Dei; university students

Member of: Andean Pact (observer), ASSIMER, Council of Europe, EC, ESRO, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, IC AC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, 1FC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, 1TC, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Spain on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Spain 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Spain 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.