Editing Politics of Spain (section)

==Recent historical political developments==
{{See also|Spanish transition to democracy}}
[[File:Franco eisenhower 1959 madrid.jpg|thumb|General [[Francisco Franco]] and [[U.S. president]] [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] in [[Madrid]], 1960]]
The end of the [[Spanish Civil War]] put an end to the [[Second Spanish Republic]] (1931–1939), after which a [[Francoist Spain|dictatorial regime]] was established, headed by general [[Francisco Franco]]. In 1947 he decreed, in one of the eight [[Fundamental Laws of the Realm|Fundamental Laws of his regime]], the [[Law of Succession of the Head of State]], that Spain was a monarchy with a vacant throne, that Franco was the head of State as general and [[caudillo]] of Spain, and that he would propose, when he deemed opportune, his successor, who would bear the title of King or Regent of Spain. Even though [[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona|Juan of Bourbon]], the legitimate heir of the monarchy, opposed the law, Franco met him in 1948, when they agreed that his son, Juan Carlos, then 10 years old, would finish his education in Spain – he was then living in [[Rome]] – according to the "principles" of the Francoist movement. In 1969, Franco finally designated Juan Carlos as his successor, with the title "Prince of Spain", bypassing his father Juan of Bourbon.

Francisco Franco died on 20 November 1975, and Juan Carlos was crowned King of Spain by the [[Spanish Cortes]], the non-elected Assembly that operated during Franco's regime. Even though Juan Carlos I had sworn allegiance to "[[Movimiento Nacional|National Movement]]", the sole legal party of the regime, he expressed his support for a transformation of the Spanish political system as soon as he took office. Such an endeavor was not meant to be easy or simple, as the opposition to the regime had to ensure that nobody in their ranks would turn into extremism, and the Army had to resist the temptation to intervene to restore the "Movement". 
[[File:Adolfo Suárez 1979b (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Adolfo Suárez]], first Spanish Prime Minister after the Dictatorship.]]
In 1976 he designated [[Adolfo Suárez]] as prime minister – "president of the Government" – with the task of convincing the regime to dismantle itself and to call for elections to a [[Constituent Assembly]]. He accomplished both tasks, and the first democratically elected Constituent ''Cortes'' since the Second Spanish Republic met in 1977. In 1978 a new democratic [[Constitution of Spain|constitution]] was promulgated and approved by [[referendum]]. The constitution declared Spain a constitutional parliamentary monarchy with H.M. King Juan Carlos I as Head of State. Spain's transformation from an authoritarian regime to a successful modern democracy was a remarkable achievement, even creating a model emulated by other countries undergoing similar transitions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cambridge.org/gb/knowledge/isbn/item1156699/?site_locale=en_GB|title=The Politics of Spain|last2=Monero|first2=José Ramón|last1=Gunther|first1=Richard|publisher=Cambridge Textbooks in Comparative Politics|year=2009|access-date=25 February 2012}}</ref>

Adolfo Suárez headed the prime ministership of Spain from 1977 to 1982, as the leader of the [[Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)|Union of the Democratic Center]] party. He resigned on 29 January 1981, but on 23 February 1981, the day when the Congress of Deputies was to designate a new prime minister, rebel elements among the [[Guardia Civil|Civil Guard]] seized the {{Lang|es|Cortes Generales}} in [[23-F|a failed coup]] that ended the day after. The great majority of the military forces remained loyal to the King, who used his personal and constitutional authority as commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed forces, to diffuse the uprising and save the constitution, by addressing the country on television.{{sfn|Encyclopædia Britannica}}

In October 1982, the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]], led by [[Felipe González]], swept both the Congress of Deputies and Senate, winning an absolute majority in both chambers of the {{Lang|es|Cortes Generales}}. González headed the prime ministership of Spain for the next 13 years, during which period Spain joined [[NATO]] and the [[European Community]]. [[File:Felipe González en Simon Peres (1986) (cropped).jpg|thumb|[[Felipe González]], prime minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996.]] The government also created new social laws and large scale infrastructural buildings, expanding the educational system and establishing a [[welfare state]]. While traditionally affiliated with one of Spain's major trade unions, the [[Unión General de Trabajadores|General Union of Workers]] (UGT), in an effort to improve Spain's competitiveness in preparation for admission to the EC as well as for further economic integration with Europe afterwards, the PSOE distanced itself from trade unions.<ref name=encyclopedia/> Following a policy of [[liberalization]], González's government closed state corporations under the state [[holding company]], the [[Instituto Nacional de Industria|National Industry Institute]] (INI), and downsized the coal, iron and steel industries. The PSOE implemented the single-market policies of the [[Single European Act]] and the domestic policies consistent with the Maastricht Treaty EMU criteria.<ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Europe/Spain-POLITICS-GOVERNMENT-AND-TAXATION.html|title=Spain Politics, government, and taxation|publisher=Encyclopedia of the Nations|access-date=25 February 2012}}</ref> The country was massively modernized and economically developed in this period, closing the gap with other European Community members. There was also a significant [[Spanish society after the democratic transition|cultural shift]], into a tolerant contemporary [[open society]]. 
[[File:José María Aznar in Moscow 29 May 2002-1.jpg|thumb|[[José María Aznar]], prime minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004]]
In March 1996, [[José María Aznar]], from the [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]], obtained a relative majority in Congress. Aznar moved to further liberalize the economy, with a program of complete [[privatization]] of state-owned enterprises, [[labor market]] reform and other policies designed to increase competition in selected markets. Aznar liberalized the energy sector, national telecommunications and television broadcasting networks.<ref name=encyclopedia/> To ensure a successful outcome of such liberalization, the government set up the [[Comisión Nacional de la Competencia|Competition Defense Court]] ({{langx|es|Tribunal de Defensa de la Competencia}}), an anti-trust regulator body entrusted with restricting monopolistic practices.<ref name=encyclopedia/> During Aznar's government Spain qualified for the [[Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union]], and adopted the [[euro]], replacing the [[Spanish peseta|peseta]], in 2002. Spain participated, along with the [[United States]] and other NATO allies, in military operations in the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|former Yugoslavia]]. Spanish armed forces and police personnel were included in the international [[peacekeeping]] forces in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] and [[Kosovo]]. Having obtained an absolute majority in the 2000 elections, Aznar, headed the prime ministership until 2004. Aznar supported transatlantic relations with the United States, and participated on the [[War on Terrorism]] and the invasion of Iraq. In 2004, he decided not to run as a candidate for the Popular Party, and proposed [[Mariano Rajoy]], who had been minister under his government, as his successor as leader of the party.
[[File:José Luís Rodríguez Zapatero 2016.jpg|thumb|[[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], prime minister of Spain from 2004 to 2011]]
In the aftermath of the [[2004 Madrid train bombings|terrorist bomb attacks]] in [[Madrid]], which occurred just three days before the elections, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party won a surprising victory. Its leader, [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], headed the prime ministership from 2004 to 2011, winning a second term in 2008. Under a policy of gender equality, his was the first Spanish Government to have the same number of male and female members in the Council of Ministers. During the first four years of his prime ministership the economy continued to expand rapidly, and the government ran budget surpluses. His government brought social liberal changes to Spain, promoting women's rights, changing the [[abortion]] law, and legalizing [[same-sex marriage]], and tried to make the State more secular.<ref name="nytimes">{{cite news|title=Spanish Voters Deal a Blow to Socialists over the Economy|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/21/world/europe/spanish-voters-punish-socialists.html|last=Minder|first=Raphael|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=20 November 2011|access-date=25 February 2012}}</ref> The [[economic crisis of 2008]] took a heavy toll on Spain's economy, which had been highly dependent on construction since the boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. When the international financial crisis hit, the construction industry collapsed, along with property values and several banks and ''[[savings bank (Spain)|cajas]]'' (savings banks) were in need of rescuing or consolidation.<ref name="nytimes" /> Economic growth slowed sharply and unemployment soared to over 20%,<ref name="nytimes" /> levels not seen[[File:Mariano Rajoy (13537266535).jpg|thumb|[[Mariano Rajoy|Mariano Rajoy Brey]], prime minister of Spain from 2011 to 2018]]
since the late 1990s. In applying counter-cyclical policies during the beginning of the crisis, and the ensuing drop in State revenues, the government financing fell into deficit. During an 18-month period from 2010 to 2011, the government adopted severe austerity measures, cutting spending and laying off workers.<ref name="nytimes" />

In March 2011, Rodríguez Zapatero made his decision not to lead the Socialist Party in the coming elections, which he called ahead of schedule for 20 November 2011. The People's Party, which presented [[Mariano Rajoy]] for the third time as candidate, won a decisive victory,<ref name="nytimes" /> obtaining an absolute majority in the Congress of Deputies. [[Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba]], first deputy prime minister during Rodríguez Zapatero's government and candidate for the Socialist Party in 2011, was elected secretary general of his party in 2012, and became the [[leader of the Opposition (Spain)|leader of the opposition]] in Parliament.
[[File:Pedro Sánchez estado de alarma.jpg|thumb|[[Pedro Sánchez|Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón]], prime minister of Spain since 2018]]

The elections of 20 December 2015 were inconclusive, with the People's Party remaining the largest party in Congress, but unable to form a majority government. The PSOE remained the second largest party, but the [[Podemos (Spanish political party)|Podemos]] and [[Ciudadanos]] parties also obtained substantial representation; coalition negotiations were prolonged<ref>Stephen Burgen, [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/17/spain-parties-fail-form-government-socialist-podemos-pedro-sanchez "'Worrying and pathetic': anger in Spain over parties' failure to form government"], The Guardian, 17 February 2016</ref> but failed to install a new government. This led to a further general election on 26 June 2016, in which the PP increased its number of seats in parliament, while still falling short of an overall majority.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Sam|title=Spanish elections: Mariano Rajoy struggles to build coalition|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/27/spanish-elections-mariano-rajoy-to-build-coalition-peoples-party|work=The Guardian|date=27 June 2016}}</ref> Eventually on 29 October, Rajoy was re-appointed as prime minister after the majority of the PSOE members abstained in the parliamentary vote rather than oppose him.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jones|first1=Sam|title=Mariano Rajoy sworn in as Spain's PM after deadlock broken|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/31/mariono-rajoy-to-be-sworn-in-as-spains-prime-minister|work=The Guardian|date=31 October 2016}}</ref>

In June 2018, [[Pedro Sánchez]], leader of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), was sworn in as the country's new prime minister after conservative Mariano Rajoy was defeated in a [[Motions of no confidence in Spain|no-confidence vote]] in parliament.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44340879|title = Pedro Sánchez is sworn in as Spain's new prime minister|work = BBC News|date = 2 June 2018}}</ref> In November 2019 elections, the governing PSOE won the most seats, but fell short of a majority. The conservative Popular Party (PP) came in second and far-right party [[Vox (Spain)|Vox]] doubled its seats to become the country's third most-powerful party.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50367870|title = Spanish elections: Socialists win amid far-right surge|work = BBC News|date = 11 November 2019}}</ref> In January 2020, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez formed a new government with radical left-wing [[Unidas Podemos]]. It was Spain's first coalition government since democracy was restored in 1978.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-51019358|title = Spain's Sánchez narrowly wins vote to govern in coalition|work = BBC News|date = 7 January 2020}}</ref>