The Crown - Head of State Cortes Generales - Legislative branch    Congress of Deputies    Senate    Regional legislatures Political parties in Spain Elections in Spain: 1977 - 1979 - 1982 - 1986 1989 - 1993 - 1996 - 2000 2004 Government - Executive branch    President of the Government    Council of ...

Including:

• Cortes Generales - History of the Cortes
• Cortes Generales - Origins: the Feudal Age 8th-12th centuries
• Cortes Generales - The rise of the bourgeoisie 12th-15th centuries
• Cortes Generales - The Catholic Monarchs 15th century
• Cortes Generales - The Imperial Cortes 16th-17th centuries
• Cortes Generales - The First Republic Parliament 1873-1874
• Cortes Generales - The Restoration Cortes 1874-1930
• Cortes Generales - The Second Republic Parliament 1930-1939
• Cortes Generales - The Cortes Generales under the Franco's regime 1939-1978

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Baltasar Garzón Real (born October 26, 1955 in Torres, Jaén, Spain) is a prominent judge (investigating magistrate) of Spain. Garzón currently sits on Spain's highest criminal court, the Audiencia Nacional. Garzón is known in Spain as "Super Judge" or "Judge-Star." Baltasar Garzón - International cases. Garzón rose to international prominence in 1998 for his issue of an arrest warrant for former Chilean president Augusto Pinochet over the deaths and torture of Spanish citizens during Pinochet's regime ...

Including:

• Baltasar Garzón - International cases
• Baltasar Garzón - Spanish cases
• Baltasar Garzón - Critics

Read more here: » Baltasar Garzón: Encyclopedia - Baltasar Garzón

A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. Legislatures are known by many names, the most common being parliament and congress, although these also have more specific meanings. In parliamentary systems of government, the legislature is formally supreme and appoints the executive. In presidential systems of government, the legislature is considered a power branch whi ...

Including:

• Legislature - Chambers
• Legislature - Competences
• Legislature - List of titles of legislatures

Read more here: » Legislature: Encyclopedia - Legislature

In government, bicameralism (bi + Latin camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a parliament or legislature which consists of two Chambers or Houses. Bicameralism is an essential and defining feature of the classical notion of mixed government. Bicameralism - Theory. Although the ideas on which bicameralism is based can be traced back to the theories developed in ancient Greece and Rom ...

Including:

• Bicameralism - Theory
• Bicameralism - The different sorts of bicameralism
• Bicameralism - Federalism
• Bicameralism - Aristocratic bicameralism
• Bicameralism - Unitary States
• Bicameralism - Subnational entities
• Bicameralism - Bicameralism and Arab political reform
• Bicameralism - Examples

Read more here: » Bicameralism: Encyclopedia - Bicameralism

Spain's fifty provinces (provincias) are grouped into seventeen autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas), in addition to two African autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas) (Ceuta and Melilla). Autonomous communities of Spain - Formation and powers. Centralism, nationalism and separatism played an important role in the Spanish transition. For fear that separatism would lead to instability and a dictatorial backlash, a compromise was struck among the moderate political part ...

Including:

• Autonomous communities of Spain - Formation and powers
• Autonomous communities of Spain - List
• Autonomous communities of Spain - Plazas de soberanía
• Autonomous communities of Spain - External link

Read more here: » Autonomous communities of Spain: Encyclopedia - Autonomous communities of Spain

The primary component of a legislature is one or more chambers or houses: assemblies that debate and vote upon bills. Most legislatures are either bicameral or unicameral (rarely tricameral): A unicameral legislature is the simplest kind of law-making body and has only one house. A bicameral legislature possesses two separate chambers, usually described as an upper house and a lower house, which may differ in duties, powers, and meth ...

See also:

Legislature, Legislature - Chambers, Legislature - Competences, Legislature - List of titles of legislatures

Read more here: » Legislature: Encyclopedia II - Legislature - Chambers

In the Congress of Deputies, the PP vote fell by 6.9 percent, and the party lost 39 seats. The PSOE vote rose by 8.5 percent, bringing a gain of 35 seats. On the left, the United Left (a coalition led by the Communist Party of Spain), lost four of its nine seats, but the leftwing Catalan party Republican Left of Catalonia gained seven seats. The conservative Catalan nationalist party, Convergence and Unity, which in the recent ...

See also:

Spanish legislative election 2004, Spanish legislative election 2004 - Results, Spanish legislative election 2004 - Development of voteshares and seats, Spanish legislative election 2004 - Senate, Spanish legislative election 2004 - Electoral system

Read more here: » Spanish legislative election 2004: Encyclopedia II - Spanish legislative election 2004 - Results

Spain as we know it today had first become united after the 1469 marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and their subsequent conquest of Granada. In 1504, Queen Isabella died, and although Ferdinand tried to maintain his position over Castile in the wake of her death, the Castilian Cortes Generales (the royal court of Spain) chose to crown Isabella's daughter Joanna queen. Her husband Philip was the Habsburg son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy and simultaneously became king-consort Philip I of ...

See also:

Habsburg Spain, Habsburg Spain - The beginnings of the empire 1504-1521, Habsburg Spain - An emperor and a king 1521-1556, Habsburg Spain - St. Quentin to Lepanto 1556-1571, Habsburg Spain - The troubled king 1571-1598, Habsburg Spain - God is Spanish 1596-1626, Habsburg Spain - The road to Rocroi 1626-1643, Habsburg Spain - The last Spanish Habsburgs 1643-1700, Habsburg Spain - Spanish society and the Inquisition 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - The Spanish bureaucracy 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - The Spanish economy 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - Spanish art and culture 1516-1700

Read more here: » Habsburg Spain: Encyclopedia II - Habsburg Spain - The beginnings of the empire 1504-1521

The Spanish Constitution has been reformed once (Article 13.2, Title I) to extend to citizens of the European Union the right to active and passive suffrage (both voting rights and eligibility as candidates) in local elections. The socialist government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has announced its intention to undertake a major reform of the constitution during its tenure. The proposed modifications would include succession in the monarchy on the basis of age only, and not gender, thus abandonin ...

See also:

Spanish Constitution of 1978, Spanish Constitution of 1978 - Reform, Spanish Constitution of 1978 - Protected provisions, Spanish Constitution of 1978 - The reform of the autonomy statutes, Spanish Constitution of 1978 - Notes

Read more here: » Spanish Constitution of 1978: Encyclopedia II - Spanish Constitution of 1978 - Reform

Contemporary Madrid came into its own after the death of the Fascist dictator Francisco Franco. Years of the Franco regime left Madrid and much the country in economic shambles due to isolation. With his death, Madrid, and Spain as a whole, began to reassert itself on the international stage. Within Spain, reaction against the dictatorial bureaucracy centered in Madrid and a history of centralism that predated Franco by centuries has resulted in the successful modern movement towards increased autonomy for the regions of Spain, considered as au ...

See also:

Madrid, Madrid - History, Madrid - Contemporary Madrid, Madrid - Plaza Mayor and Sol, Madrid - Opera, Madrid - Alonso Martínez, Madrid - Atocha, Madrid - AZCA / Nuevos Ministerios, Madrid - Chueca, Madrid - Las Cortes, Madrid - Gran Vía, Madrid - Huertas-Lavapiés, Madrid - La Latina, Madrid - Malasaña, Madrid - Vallecas, Madrid - Demographics, Madrid - Climate, Madrid - Tourist attractions, Madrid - Other notable structures, Madrid - Nightlife, Madrid - Universities, Madrid - Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid - Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid - Other Universities, Madrid - Transportation, Madrid - Air, Madrid - National Rail, Madrid - Metro, Madrid - Sports, Madrid - Theatres and Cultural Venues, Madrid - Sister cities

Read more here: » Madrid: Encyclopedia II - Madrid - Contemporary Madrid

Elections in Spain - Congress of Deputies. The Congress has 350 members, elected from each province for a maximum four-year term following the d'Hondt method of proportional representation. While the constitution allows limited flexibility in determining this system, it has not changed since the return of democracy. Seats are allocated as follows: Two seats are given to each of the 50 provinces and one each to Ceuta and Melilla, and the remaining 248 are then allocated proportionally to population. In prac ...

See also:

Elections in Spain, Elections in Spain - Electoral system, Elections in Spain - Congress of Deputies, Elections in Spain - Senate, Elections in Spain - Results, Elections in Spain - General elections, Elections in Spain - Referenda

Read more here: » Elections in Spain: Encyclopedia II - Elections in Spain - Electoral system

Parliament of Scotland - Parliament before 1400. Between 1235 and 1286 little can be told with certainty about Parliament's function, but it appears to have had a judicial and political role which was well established by the end of the century. With the death of Alexander III Scotland found itself without an adult monarch, and in this situation, Parliament seems to have become more prominent as a means to give added legitimacy to the Council of Guardians who ran the country. By the reign of John Balliol (1292-96) ...

See also:

Parliament of Scotland, Parliament of Scotland - Origins, Parliament of Scotland - The Lords of the Articles, Parliament of Scotland - The Crown, Parliament of Scotland - History, Parliament of Scotland - Parliament before 1400, Parliament of Scotland - The Fifteenth Century, Parliament of Scotland - The Sixteenth Century, Parliament of Scotland - The Seventeenth Century, Parliament of Scotland - Union with England

Read more here: » Parliament of Scotland: Encyclopedia II - Parliament of Scotland - History

The Spanish head of government is known, in Spanish, as the Presidente del Gobierno. Literally translated, this title is "President of the Government", but nevertheless the office-holder is commonly referred to in English as the "Prime Minister": the usual term for the head of government in a constitutional monarchy. In Spain, he or she is often called simply Presidente and Spaniards will often translate his or her title in English to President. More than once, the Spanish term has caused embarrassing errors among ...

See also:

Prime Minister of Spain, Prime Minister of Spain - Official title, Prime Minister of Spain - Election, Prime Minister of Spain - List of Presidents of the Government

Read more here: » Prime Minister of Spain: Encyclopedia II - Prime Minister of Spain - Official title

Spain as we know it today had first become united after the 1469 marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, and their subsequent conquest of Granada. In 1504, Queen Isabella died, and although Ferdinand tried to maintain his position over Castile in the wake of her death, the Castilian Cortes Generales (the royal court of Spain) chose to crown Isabella's daughter Joanna queen. Her husband Philip was the Habsburg son of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy and simultaneously became king-consort Philip I of ...

See also:

Habsburg Spain, Habsburg Spain - The beginnings of the empire 1504-1521, Habsburg Spain - An emperor and a king 1521-1556, Habsburg Spain - St. Quentin to Lepanto 1556-1571, Habsburg Spain - The troubled king 1571-1598, Habsburg Spain - God is Spanish 1596-1626, Habsburg Spain - The road to Rocroi 1626-1643, Habsburg Spain - The last Spanish Habsburgs 1643-1700, Habsburg Spain - Spanish society and the Inquisition 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - The Spanish bureaucracy 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - The Spanish economy 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - Spanish art and culture 1516-1700, Habsburg Spain - See Also

Read more here: » Habsburg Spain: Encyclopedia II - Habsburg Spain - The beginnings of the empire 1504-1521

Centralism, nationalism and separatism played an important role in the Spanish transition. For fear that separatism would lead to instability and a dictatorial backlash, a compromise was struck among the moderate political parties taking part in the drafting of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The aim was to appease separatist forces and so disarm the extreme right. A highly decentralized state was established, compared both with the previous Francoist regime an ...

See also:

Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous communities of Spain - Formation and powers, Autonomous communities of Spain - List, Autonomous communities of Spain - Plazas de soberanía

Read more here: » Autonomous communities of Spain: Encyclopedia II - Autonomous communities of Spain - Formation and powers

The future King's early life was dictated largely by the political concerns of his father, Juan de Borbón, and Franco. He moved to Spain in 1948 to be educated there after his father persuaded Franco to allow this. He began his studies in San Sebastián and finished them in 1954 at the San Isidro Institute in Madrid. He then joined the army, doing his officer training, 1955-1957, in Zaragoza. In 1956, his younger brother, the Infante Alfonso died of a gunshot wound in Estoril, Portugal, with Juan Carlos as the only witness. The offic ...

See also:

Juan Carlos I of Spain, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Early life, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Franco's heir 1969-1975, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Restoration of the monarchy, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Role in contemporary Spanish politics, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Family and private life, Juan Carlos I of Spain - Ancestry and Titles

Read more here: » Juan Carlos I of Spain: Encyclopedia II - Juan Carlos I of Spain - Early life

In order to understand the political forces and debates in Spain we have to consider two dimensions: the Right vs. Left dimension and the Nation State vs. Plurinational State dimension. The political parties' agendas and the individual citizens' opinions can only be understood when situated on both dimensions. The Constitution of the Kingdom of Spain states that 1) it is a Nation and 2) that it is formed by Nationalities and Regions. This statement is a contradiction (since Nationality and Nation essentially mean the same thing in political ...

See also:

Politics of Spain, Politics of Spain - Spanish Parliament, Politics of Spain - Local government, Politics of Spain - The nationality debate, Politics of Spain - Terrorism, Politics of Spain - Facts

Read more here: » Politics of Spain: Encyclopedia II - Politics of Spain - The nationality debate

Main article: History of Spain Spain - Prehistory. The aboriginal peoples of the Iberian peninsula, consisting of a number of separate tribes, are given the generic name of Iberians. This may have included the Basques, the only pre-Celtic people in Iberia surviving to the present day as a separate ethnic group. The most important culture of this period is that of the city of Tartessos. Beginning in the 9th century BC, Celtic tribes entered the Iberian peninsula through the Pyrenees and settled throughout the peni ...

See also:

Spain, Spain - History, Spain - Prehistory, Spain - Roman Empire, Spain - Muslim Spain, Spain - The Fall of Muslim Rule, Spain - From the Renaissance to the 19th Century, Spain - 20th century, Spain - 21st century, Spain - Politics, Spain - Administrative divisions, Spain - Autonomous communities, Spain - Provinces, Spain - Places of sovereignty, Spain - Geography, Spain - Most populous metropolitan areas, Spain - Territorial disputes, Spain - Economy, Spain - Demographics, Spain - Identities, Spain - Minority groups, Spain - Religion, Spain - International rankings, Spain - Other images

Read more here: » Spain: Encyclopedia II - Spain - History

List of political parties in Spain - Registered Parties. For a complete listing of all parties registered at the Ministry of Interior, see List of registered political parties in Spain. List of political parties in Spain - Major Parties. With current representation in the parliament or in the European Parliament. Partido Popular, formerly People's Coalition (Coalición Popular), a coalition of People's Alliance (Alianza Popular), Christian Democratic ...

See also:

List of political parties in Spain, List of political parties in Spain - The parties, List of political parties in Spain - Registered Parties, List of political parties in Spain - Major Parties, List of political parties in Spain - Coalitions, List of political parties in Spain - Minor parties, List of political parties in Spain - Defunct Major parties

Read more here: » List of political parties in Spain: Encyclopedia II - List of political parties in Spain - The parties

Bicameralism - Federalism. Some countries, such as Australia, Canada, the United States, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Switzerland, South Africa and Germany, link their bicameral systems to their federal political structure. In the United States, Australia and Brazil, for example, each state is given the same number of seats in the legislature's upper house. This takes no account of population differences between states — it is designed to ensure that smaller states are not overshadowed by more populous ones. ...

See also:

Bicameralism, Bicameralism - Theory, Bicameralism - The different sorts of bicameralism, Bicameralism - Federalism, Bicameralism - Aristocratic bicameralism, Bicameralism - Unitary States, Bicameralism - Subnational entities, Bicameralism - Bicameralism and Arab political reform, Bicameralism - Examples

Read more here: » Bicameralism: Encyclopedia II - Bicameralism - The different sorts of bicameralism