Learn all about Spain’s political system, local and national political parties, its government and more in this comprehensive guide.
When moving to such an exciting country as Spain, you can have a lot of fun. From finding housing to enrolling your children in the local elementary school, there are often many things on your list. And that’s without even mentioning finding a local tapas bar!
However, if you’re planning to move to Spain , it’s also worth getting a deeper understanding of this diverse country. And one way to do this is to familiarize yourself with its national and regional policies. After all, in times of national crisis, it is important to know who to listen to. To help you out, we’ve put together this comprehensive overview that covers the following topics:
Acquaintance with the political system of Spain
Spain is classified as a democratic constitutional monarchy, which is also known as a parliamentary monarchy. This means that the reigning monarch acts as a largely ceremonial head of state. Meanwhile, the democratically elected prime minister serves as the head of the national government. Spain ranks relatively high in the Economist Intelligence Unit democracy ranking, ranking 22nd in the 2020 ranking.
The current political system in Spain operates with La Transición . It was the period of the late 1970s, when the country was transitioning from dictatorship to democracy under former King Juan Carlos I after decades of military rule by General Francisco Franco. This transition involved the adoption of the Spanish constitution in 1978. It serves as the basis for the current national and regional political systems.
As of July 2021, the current head of state is Felipe VI. He ascended the throne in 2014 after the abdication of his father, Juan Carlos. The current leader of the national government is Pedro Sánchez, head of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE). He became the prime minister in June 2018.
Branches of government in Spain
The Constitution of Spain, adopted in 1978, defines the division of power into executive, legislative and judicial. He also advocates the important values of freedom, justice and equality among many other foundations of the current Spanish democratic system. These three branches of government operate as follows:
- Executive branch : The Prime Minister of Spain (currently Pedro Sánchez) heads the national government, the executive branch of Spain’s state system. This branch includes vice prime ministers and other ministers.
- Legislature: Spain’s Parliament, or General Cortes , is the legislative branch of government and consists of two chambers: a directly elected lower house, the Congreso de los Diputados (Congress of Deputies), and an upper house, the Senado (Senate).
- Judiciary: Spain’s judges and magistrates make up the judicial branch of government and are independent, accountable and subject only to the rule of law. The head of the Tribunal Supremo (Supreme Court) is nominated by 20 judges of the General Council. These judges are appointed by a three-fifths vote in the parliament.
According to the national branches of government, Spain’s regions or autonomous communities ( Comunidades Autónomas ) are also organized according to this principle. Each of them consists of executive and legislative bodies with its own Statute of Autonomy, approved by the national parliament. However, the exact structures vary between communities. In addition, more power is being transferred to “historical nationalities” in the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia.
Political parties in Spain
There are a number of political parties in Spain, and many of them operate at local, regional and national levels. Here is a brief overview of Spain’s main political parties:
- Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) : Founded in 1879 and known as the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party in English, the PSOE is the oldest party currently active in Spain. It has been in government longer than any other political party in modern democratic Spain. The party has basically a progressive ideology. The party was founded by trade union organizer Pablo Iglesias Posse. As of July 2021, the current leader is Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
- Popular Party (PP) : Created back in 1976 by Manuel Fraga, a Spanish professor and politician during the Franco dictatorship, the Popular Party (in English) has a liberal-conservative, Christian-democratic ideology. The party was in power until 2018, and is now in opposition and led by Pablo Casada.
- Unidas Podemos (UP): Formerly known as Unidos Podemos, this alliance of smaller progressive parties was formed ahead of the 2016 general election. These include Podemos , Izquierda Unida and other smaller parties. The party is in a government coalition with the PSOE after the 2020 general election. UP is currently headed by Yolanda Diaz Perez.
- Ciudadanos (Cs) : This party, known in English as “Citizens”, emerged in Catalonia back in 2006. It is a liberal-conservative, pro-European party. Since then, the fortunes of Ciudadanos have changed significantly. The current president of the party is Ines Arrimadas.
- Vox: Former members of the People’s Party founded this anti-immigration nationalist party in 2013. Her popularity increased during the last elections, both at the national and regional levels. Vox is headed by Santiago Abascal.
Prime Minister of Spain: who holds power in Spain?
Pedro Sánchez, general secretary of the progressive PSOE party, has been prime minister since 2018. The former basketball player-turned-economist came to power after a vote of no confidence in previous Prime Minister Mariano Racha of the People’s Party. At the time, the government was embroiled in a corruption scandal , and Rajoy was accused of failing to take responsibility for his party’s role in it.
Despite only being in power since 2018, Sanchez’s time in office has been rocky, to say the least. First, in 2019 there were not one, but two general elections (in April and November, respectively). Sánchez’s PSOE party won the most votes in both of those elections. However, they failed to win a majority in either, forcing them to enter into coalition talks with other progressive parties. Sánchez also faced a vote of no confidence in his leadership in October 2020, which was submitted by Vox members.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also hit Spain hard , both health-wise and economically. Indeed, during the crisis, the country recorded some of the highest death rates in Europe; Barcelona and Madrid are among the worst affected areas. Businesses in many resort regions of Spain have also been seriously affected by the lack of tourism from other European countries. Politically, how Spain handles the recovery from COVID-19 and related crises will largely determine whether Sánchez remains in power until and beyond the next election.
General elections in Spain: November 2019
The last general election in Spain was held in November 2019; just a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic swept Europe. The election also took place a few months after the previous election, which was held in April 2019. In the April elections, Sánchez’s PSOE party failed to obtain a parliamentary majority. This forced them to start coalition talks with Unidas Podemos. However, when those talks broke down in the summer, new general elections were scheduled for November 2019.
PSOE again won the most seats in the Congress of Deputies in the November elections . They received 28% of the popular vote and 120 seats in Congress; three places down according to the results of April 2019. Both PP and Vox have significantly increased seats and vote shares; received 21% and 15% of the votes, respectively. Unidas Podemos lost ground slightly, losing 7 seats and 1.4% of the vote. However, it was Quidadanos that suffered the greatest losses. According to the results of the elections in April 2019, they lost 57 seats and 9.1% of the votes. This led to the then leader, Albert Rivera, resigning his position and leaving politics immediately.
After the election, Sánchez and the PSOE resumed coalition talks with Unidas Podemos, itself a coalition of progressive parties. This time, however, the talks were successful, and the parties entered the first formal governing coalition in Spanish politics since the restoration of democracy in the late 1970s. A number of smaller regional parties support the coalition in parliament. Turnout in the November 2019 general election was the lowest since the return of democracy, at just 66.2%.
Electoral system of Spain
The term of office of the Spanish National Parliament ( General Cortes ) usually lasts four years. After that, general elections are held to elect the next set of representatives of the parliament. However, a general election can be held before the end of the four-year term if the Prime Minister calls an early election; as Sanchez did in 2019. The current parliamentary term is due to end in 2023.
During general elections in Spain, citizens directly elect members of both chambers of the Spanish Parliament: the Congress of Deputies ( Congreso de los Diputados ) and the Senate ( Senado ). Below is an overview of both buildings:
- Congress of Deputies: The lower house of the Spanish Parliament consists of 350 elected officials representing 52 constituencies across the country. All 350 seats are directly elected through universal adult suffrage. Congress has greater legislative power than the Senate and meets in the Palace of the Parliament ( Palacio de las Cortes ) in Madrid.
- Senate: The upper house of the Spanish Parliament consists of 265 members and meets in the Palacio del Senado in Madrid. A total of 208 members of the Senate are elected by direct universal suffrage by universal adult suffrage. Regional legislatures appoint the remaining 57 senators.
Voting in Spain
Universal suffrage was first granted during the Second Spanish Republic (1931-1936), when women finally gained the right to vote. Franco abolished it during his rule, but it was reinstated in 1977 as part of Spain’s transition back to democracy. Today, all Spanish citizens over the age of 18 have the right to vote if they are registered.
Spain’s electoral system is mainly based on the d’Ondt method of proportional representation based on party lists. This applies to elections at the country’s four administrative levels: general elections, regional elections, local elections and elections to the European Parliament. General elections are held on Sundays, and local elections are often held on the same day as regional and national votes.
Can I vote in the elections in Spain?
This largely depends on your circumstances and which election you want to vote in. Only Spanish citizens can vote in general elections. However, if you are officially resident in Spain and an EU citizen, you can vote in local municipal elections. EU citizens can also vote in European elections, as well as in all EU member states, while living in Spain.
Local and regional self-government in Spain
In addition to the national government, Spain has three other levels of government that you should be aware of when moving to the country. Regional identity, in particular, is extremely strong in some parts of Spain, and because of this, regional electoral politics can play a leading role in political discourse across the country.
Regional policy in Spain
Spain has 17 regions known as Autonomous Communities ( Comunidades Autónomas ), as well as two autonomous cities on the North African coast, Ceuta and Melilla. The 1978 constitution emphasized the right to autonomy and self-government for these communities, whose regional identity had suffered decades of repression under General Franco. However, Spain is not a federal state in the same spirit as Germany, Brazil or the United States. Instead, it is a decentralized unitary country where the central government retains full sovereignty.
Autonomous communities are organized according to the same principle as the national parliamentary system. Each regional parliament has an executive branch headed by a regional president and a legislative branch with its own Statute of Autonomy approved by the national parliament. Each autonomous parliament has its own set of delegated powers, although the nature of these powers varies between communities. For example, the “historical nationalities” – the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia – received more powers.
In general, the main national political parties also have representatives in Spain’s regional parliaments. This is especially true for the more established PSOE and PP parties. However, in these autonomous communities, regional political parties also play a significant role, attracting high shares of the vote and, in some cases, winning the largest number of seats. They are also traditionally stronger in these “historical nationalities”. However, more local parties are on the rise, so you should search online to find out more about political parties in your area.
Regional elections in Spain
As with the national government, voters elect members of all regional parliaments for four-year terms. However, the regional president has the power to dissolve parliament and call early elections. The number of seats in each regional parliament depends on the autonomous communities of Spain. In most of these communities, the elections take place on the last Sunday of May together with the local municipal elections.
Local politics in Spain
Local government in Spain operates at the municipal level, where residents elect local councilors who then elect a mayor ( alcalde ). The mayor then appoints the board of governors of the local municipality. In Spain, local municipalities are responsible for local police, road policy, urban planning, social services and certain taxes.
Political landscape in Spain
Along with the rest of Europe and indeed the world, the 20th century was a tumultuous period for Spain and its politics. However, as we move further into the 21st century, the events of the last hundred years continue to resonate in Spanish politics and society in general. To give you an idea of the current political landscape in the country, we take a brief look at some of the tense situations in Spain.
Civil war in Spain
The bloody civil war in Spain ( Guerra Civil ) was fought from 1936 to 1939 between republican and nationalist forces. After the victory of the nationalists, the country entered the period of the military dictatorship of General Franco. This lasted until the late 1970s, when Spain returned to being a democratic state. Although the conflict ended more than 80 years ago, the brutal nature of the conflict and post-civil war dictatorship means it still influences contemporary party politics and wider Spanish society. It is therefore understandable that the legacy of the civil war remains a highly debated issue in Spain.
Regional separatism
Separatist movements in the autonomous communities of the Basque Country and Catalonia have been a constant source of political tension in Spain in recent years.
Basque separatism
The Basque Country, located in northern Spain, is an area with a distinct local identity, including its own language, Basque ( vasco/Euskara ), and culture. After the 2020 elections, both the largest ruling party and the largest opposition party in the regional Basque parliament are Basque nationalist parties. However, the movement gained international attention decades earlier thanks to the armed separatist group ETA ( Euskadi Ta Askatasuna ). The group has carried out a series of violent and deadly attacks across Spain since the late 1960s, but was officially disbanded in 2018.
Catalan separatism
In recent decades, the movement for Catalan separatism has gained popularity both at the national and international levels. Located in northwestern Spain, the region also has a distinct local identity. The Catalan independence movement has a long history; since the founding of the first pro-independence party, Estat Català (Catalan State), in 1922. Since the establishment of regional parliaments, Catalan nationalist parties have generally performed well in regional elections.
In 2014, the Catalan separatist movement initiated a symbolic referendum , which was banned by the central government. In October 2017, there were more demonstrations in support of independence, as well as another referendum. The majority (90%) voted for independence, but voter turnout was low — only 43%. Once again, the central government declared the vote illegal and sent police to Catalonia to prevent voters from casting their ballots. Because of the scenes of violence, many international leaders called for calm and dialogue .
A few weeks later, the Parliament of Catalonia approved a resolution declaring independence from Spain. Then-Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy responded by dissolving the Catalan Parliament, and new elections were held in December 2017. Many of the leaders involved in the declaration of independence were detained in 2018 and charged with rebellion. To avoid charges, Carles Puigemont, the president of Catalonia at the time of independence, fled the country. In 2021, Pedro Sánchez pardoned the nine breakaway attempt leaders.
Recessions and COVID-19
The global financial crisis of 2008 hit the Spanish economy hard . This was partly due to the collapse in the real estate and construction sectors. Almost half of the population under the age of 25 did not have a job, and more than a million people left the country in search of a new life abroad. The aftermath of the crisis also led to political realignment in the country as new movements challenged the status quo.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic crisis have also affected Spain. This is especially acute in regions that depend on tourism from other European countries. While the effects of the pandemic remain to be seen, the relative instability of Spanish politics over the past decade or so is likely to further affect the country’s political landscape.
Spain and the European Union
Spain has had economic and political ties with the European Union since 1970 and became a member state in 1986. In 1999, the country joined the Eurozone as one of its first members; replacing the peseta with the euro, which remains the country’s currency.
Traditionally, Spanish citizens support the European Union, especially during periods of economic growth. However, following the global economic crisis of 2008, the level of support for the EU declined as Spain’s economy suffered significantly. Attitudes have changed as Spain has recovered from the crash, although support remains volatile.
European elections in Spain
As a member of the European Union, Spanish citizens are represented in the EU Parliament by 59 representatives. All EU citizens living in Spain can vote in elections to the EU Parliament. They take place every five years. The next elections will be held in 2024.
Useful resources
- Ine – Learn more about Spain’s Electoral Census
- Congreso is the official website of the General Courts of Spain
- Senado is the official website of the Spanish Senate