Editing Politics of Spain (section)

==Regional government==
{{See also|Political divisions of Spain|nationalities and regions of Spain|President (Autonomous Community of Spain)}}
The second article of the constitution declares the Spanish nation is the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards, which is made up of [[nationalities and regions of Spain|nationalities and regions]] to which the constitution recognizes and guarantees the right to self-government.{{sfn|Spanish Constitution|1978|loc=Article 2}} Since the constitution of 1978 came into effect, these nationalities and regions progressively acceded to self-government and were constituted as 17 [[autonomous communities]]. In addition, two [[autonomous cities of Spain|autonomous cities]] were constituted on the coast of [[North Africa]]. This administrative and political division is known ambiguously as the [[Political divisions of Spain#Decentralisation model|''State of Autonomies'']] to avoid implying either a [[Unitary state|unitary]] or [[federation|federal]] model.{{sfn|Synopsis of Article 137|2011|loc=paragraph 2-4}} Foreign scholars usually define Spain as a federal system with certain peculiarities.{{sfn|Colino|2020|p=75}}

The State, that is, the central government, has progressively and [[Political divisions of Spain#Decentralisation model|asymmetrically]] devolved or transferred power and competences to the autonomous communities. Each autonomous community is governed by a set of institutions established in its own [[Statute of Autonomy]]. The Statute of Autonomy is the basic organic institutional law, approved by the legislature of the community itself as well as by the {{Lang|es|Cortes Generales}}, the Spanish Parliament. The Statutes of Autonomy establish the name of the community according to its historical identity; the delimitation of its territory; the name, organization and seat of the autonomous institutions of government; and the powers that they assume and the process for their devolution or transfer from the central government. 
[[File:Κυβερνητικό Μέγαρο Καταλονίας 2563.jpg|thumb|Façade of the [[Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya|Palace of the Generalitat of Catalonia]]]]
All autonomous communities have a parliamentary form of government, and separation of powers between executive and legislative branches. Their legislatures represent the people of the community, exercising legislative power within the limits set forth in the constitution and their statutes of autonomy. Even though the central government has progressively transferred roughly the same powers to all communities, devolution is still asymmetrical. More power was devolved to the so-called "historical nationalities" – the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia. (Other communities chose afterwards to identify themselves as nationalities as well). The Basque Country, Catalonia and Navarre have their own police forces ([[Ertzaintza]], [[Mossos d'Esquadra]] and the [[Policía Foral|Chartered Police]] respectively) while the [[National Police Corps of Spain|National Police Corps]] operates in the rest of the autonomous communities. On the other hand, two communities (the Basque Country and Navarre) are "[[communities of chartered regime]]", that is, they have full fiscal autonomy, whereas the rest are "[[communities of common regime]]", with limited fiscal powers (the majority of their taxes are administered centrally and redistributed among them all for fiscal equalization).

The names of the executive government and the legislature vary between communities. Some institutions are restored historical bodies of government of the previous kingdoms or regional entities within the Spanish crown – like the [[Generalitat of Catalonia]] – while others are entirely new creations. In some, both the executive and the legislature, though constituting two separate institutions, are collectively identified with a specific name. A specific denomination may not refer to the same branch of government in all communities; for example, "Junta" may refer to the executive office in some communities, to the legislature in others, or to the collective name of all branches of government in others.

{|class="wikitable" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; width: auto; text-align: center; font-size: 90%;"
|- 
!  Autonomous community
!  Collective name of institutions
!  Executive
!  Legislature
! Identity
! Co-official language
|- 
| [[Andalusia]]
| [[Regional Government of Andalusia|Board of Andalusia]]
| Council of Government
| Parliament of Andalusia
| Nationality
|
|-
| [[Aragon]]
| Government of Aragon
| Government
| [[Cortes of Aragon]]
| Nationality
|
|-
| [[Asturias]]
| Government of the Princedom of Asturias
| Council of Government
| [[General Junta of the Principality of Asturias|General Junta]]
| Region{{efn|Also identified as a "historical community" in its Statute of Autonomy}}
|
|-
| [[Balearic Islands]]
| Government of the Balearic Islands
| Government
| [[Parliament of the Balearic Islands]]
| Nationality
| [[Catalan language|Catalan]]
|-
| [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]]
| Basque Government
| Government
| [[Basque Parliament]]
| Nationality
| [[Basque language|Basque]]
|-
| [[Canary Islands]]
| Government of the Canary Islands
| Government
| [[Canarian Parliament|Parliament of Canarias]]
| Nationality
|
|-
| [[Cantabria]]
| Government of Cantabria
| Government
| [[Parliament of Cantabria]]
| Region{{efn|Also identified as a "historical community" in its Statute of Autonomy.}}
|
|-
| [[Castile-La Mancha]]
| [[Regional Government of Castile-La Mancha]]
| Council of Government
| [[Cortes of Castile-La Mancha]]
| Region
|
|-
| [[Castile and León]]
| Board of Castile and León
| Board of Castile and León
| [[Cortes of Castile and León]]
| Region{{efn|Also identified as a "historical and cultural community" in its Statute of Autonomy.}}
|
|-
| [[Catalonia]]
| [[Generalitat of Catalonia]]
| Council of Government
| [[Parliament of Catalonia]]
| Nationality
| [[Catalan language|Catalan]], [[Occitan language|Occitan]]
|-
| [[Community of Madrid]]
| Government of the Community of Madrid
| Government
| [[Madrid Assembly|Assembly of Madrid]]
| Community{{efn|The Community of Madrid was detached from [[Castile-La Mancha]] to conform a distinct autonomous community ''in the nation's interest'' since its capital, Madrid, is also the capital of the Spanish nation, and seat of the State's institutions of government. It is therefore, not referred to neither as a region nor as a nationality in its Statute of Autonomy.}}
| 
|-
| [[Extremadura]]
| Board of Extremadura
| [[Junta de Extremadura|Board of Extremadura]]
| [[Assembly of Extremadura]]
| Region
|
|-
| [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]]
| [[Xunta de Galicia|Board of Galicia]]
| Board of Galicia
| [[Parliament of Galicia]]
| Nationality 
| [[Galician language|Galician]]
|-
| [[La Rioja (Spain)|La Rioja]]
| Government of La Rioja
| Government
| [[Parliament of La Rioja]]
| Region 
|
|-
| [[Murcia]]
| Government of the Región de Murcia
| Council of Government
| [[Regional Assembly of Murcia]]
| Region
|
|-
| [[Navarre]]
| Government of Navarre
| Government
| [[Parliament of Navarre]]
| Regional law community{{efn|Navarra acceded to self-government through the "reintegration" and "improvement" of its medieval regional code of laws whereby it had some autonomy to manage its internal affairs.}}
| [[Basque language|Basque]]
|-
| [[Valencian Community]]
| [[Generalitat Valenciana]]
| Council of Government
| [[Corts Valencianes]]
| Nationality
| [[Catalan language|Catalan]]{{efn|In Valencia, the language is historically and officially known as [[Valencian language|Valencian]].}}
|}

The two autonomous cities have more limited competences. The executive is exercised by a president, which is also the mayor of the city. In the same way, limited legislative power is vested in a local Assembly in which the deputies are also the city councilors.
[[File:Oviedo03.jpg|thumb|Building of the [[General Junta of the Principality of Asturias]]]]