Cortes Generales

Fernández Miranda, as president of the Council of the Kingdom, obtained Adolfo Suárez’s placement on the new list of three candidates for head of the government. The king chose Suárez because he met all the criteria to achieve the difficult political operation that lay ahead: convincing the Cortes, composed of installed, Francoist politicians to dismantle Franco’s system. In this manner he would formally act within the ...

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Spanish transition to democracy, Spanish transition to democracy - The Political Role of King Juan Carlos I, Spanish transition to democracy - The First Government of the Monarchy January-July 1976, Spanish transition to democracy - The First Government of Adolfo Suárez July 1976 - June 1977, Spanish transition to democracy - The Law for Political Reform, Spanish transition to democracy - Relations of the Suárez Government with the Opposition, Spanish transition to democracy - Relations of the Suárez government with the army, Spanish transition to democracy - Terrorism revives itself, Spanish transition to democracy - The First Elections and the Draft of the Constitution, Spanish transition to democracy - The Governments of the UCD, Spanish transition to democracy - The PSOE as the Party in Government

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Bicameralism - Federalism. Some countries, such as Australia, the United States, India, Malaysia, Brazil, Switzerland, 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. (In the United State ...

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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

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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, using the Chilean Truth Commission (1990-91) report as the basis for the warrant. He has repeatedly expressed a desire to investigate former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger in connection with a plot in the 1970s known as Operation Condor.[1] Garzón also opened the gates to charges of genocide being filed in Spain against Arge ...

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Baltasar Garzón, Baltasar Garzón - International cases, Baltasar Garzón - Spanish cases, Baltasar Garzón - Critics

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The Western Sahara area has never formed a state in the modern sense of the word. Phoenician/Carthaginian colonies established or reinforced by Hanno the Navigator in the 6th century BC have vanished with virtually no trace. The increasing desertification of the Sahara made sporadic contact with the outside world almost impossible before the introduction of the camel into North Africa at the beginning of the 1st millennium AD. The camel revolution made this region one of the main routes of transport of the world. Caravans transpo ...

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History of Western Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Background, History of Western Sahara - Spanish Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Negotiations on withdrawal, History of Western Sahara - Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion, History of Western Sahara - The cease-fire, History of Western Sahara - Timeline

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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: 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 ...

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

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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 and with most modern territorial arrangements in Western European nations. The autonomous communities have wide legislative and ...

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Autonomous communities of Spain, 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

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After the coup of 18th July 1936, the party felt torn. It shared the rebel side's Catholicism and there was pressure from the Vatican to keep away from the Republic, but the promised autonomy and anti-Fascism led them to side with the legitimate republican government: The Biscayne and Guipuzcoan branches, the more important in number, declared support for the republic, democracy and anti-Fascism in the ensuing Spanish Civil War. In the territory seized by the rebels, PNV members faced tough times: The Al ...

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Basque Nationalist Party, Basque Nationalist Party - The Second Spanish Republic, Basque Nationalist Party - 1934-1935, Basque Nationalist Party - The Spanish civil war and Franco's rule, Basque Nationalist Party - Alderdi Eguna, Basque Nationalist Party - Recent years, Basque Nationalist Party - Position in recent referenda

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In this sense, it commonly refers to the Reichstag assemblies of the Holy Roman Empire; see Reichstag (institution), Diet of Augsburg, Diet of Nuremberg, Diet of Regensburg, and Diet of Worms. The Riksdag of the Estates was the diet of the four estates of Sweden, from the 15th century until 1866. The Diet of Finland, was the successor to the Riksdag of the Estates in the Grand Duchy of Finland, from 1809 to 1918. In other countries the name of the comparable assembly came from the generality of the States:

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Diet assembly, Diet assembly - Historic uses, Diet assembly - Current uses

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Green issues Worldwide green parties (list): Global Greens · Africa · Americas · Asia-Pacific · Europe Global Greens Charter: ecological wisdom · social justice · participatory democracy · nonviolence · sustainability · respect diversity Iniciativa per Catalunya calls itself an "ecosocialist" party and their members are therefore, the "ecosocialists". This ideology is summarized in the book "The ecosocialist manifesto" (Spanish edition ISBN 84-87567-34-7), co-written by a number of left-wing ...

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Initiative for Catalonia Greens, Initiative for Catalonia Greens - Ideology, Initiative for Catalonia Greens - External link

Read more here: » Initiative for Catalonia Greens: Encyclopedia II - Initiative for Catalonia Greens - Ideology

The History of the Spanish monarchy can be traced back to the end of the middle ages, specifically to the alliance between Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, Reyes Catolicos. Their daughter Joanna of Castile (who married Philip the Handsome) inherited the kingdom of Castile, although of course not Aragon, which Ferdinand, still alive, kept, and later left it directly to Joanna's son Charles. Succession custom of Aragon actually was restricted to males only, and it was not totally certain that Charle ...

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Spanish monarchy, Spanish monarchy - History

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Spain - Prehistory. The indigenous peoples 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, as one of the pre-Celtic people. 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 peninsula, becoming the Celtiberians. The seafaring Phoenicians, Greeks and Carthaginians successively settled along the ...

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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

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In Spain, elections to the upper house are held at the same time than elections to the lower, but the method is completely different. While the Congress of Deputies uses the simple D'Hondt method of party list proportional representation to allocate seats in each constituency, with each constinuency's seats determined by its population, the Senate members are selected in 2 different ways: election by partial bloc voting and appointment from regional legislatures. < ...

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Spanish Senate, Spanish Senate - Elections to the Senate, Spanish Senate - Directly elected members, Spanish Senate - Regional legislatures-appointed members, Spanish Senate - Role

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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 ...

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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 - 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

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Even though the idea for a Basque national political party separate from both Herri Batasuna and the Euzko Alderdi-Jeltzalea / Partido Nacionalista Vasco emerged in 1986, it was not until 1987 that the first congress of the party was held in Pamplona-Iruña (Pamplona) in 1987. Carlos Garaikoetxea was then elected as the party's first president. The split from the PNV was based on: A personality clash between the lehendakari Garaikoetxea and the PNV leader Xabier Arzalluz. The configuration of the Basque Country: ...

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Eusko Alkartasuna, Eusko Alkartasuna - Origin, Eusko Alkartasuna - Name, Eusko Alkartasuna - Recent years

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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 ...

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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

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Juan Carlos was married in Athens on May 14, 1962, to Princess Sophia of Greece and Denmark, daughter of King Paul. She was Greek Orthodox but converted to Roman Catholicism in order to become Spain's Queen. They had two daughters, Elena and Cristina, and a son, the heir apparent, Felipe. In 1972, Juan Carlos, a keen sailor, competed in the Dragon class event at the Olympic Games, though he did not win any medals. In their summer holidays, the whole family meets in Marivent Palace (Palma de Mallorca), where they take part in sailing competitio ...

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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

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The regime of Francisco Franco had come to power during the Spanish Civil War, which had pitted socialists against liberals, monarchists, centrists, fascists, with the latter group ultimately emerging successful. Despite his alliance with monarchists, Franco was not keen to restore the deposed Spanish monarchy once in power, preferring to instead head a regime with himself as Head of State for life. Though Franco's partisan supporters generally accepted this arrangement for the present, much debate quickly ensued over whom would replace Fran ...

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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

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After Franco's death Juan Carlos quickly instituted democratic reforms, to the great displeasure of conservative elements, especially in the military, who had expected him to maintain the authoritarian state. He appointed Adolfo Suárez, a former leader of the Movimiento Nacional, as Prime Minister of Spain. On May 20, 1977 the leader of the only recently legalized Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Felipe González, accompanied by Javier Solana, visited Juan Carlos in the Zarzuela Palace. The event represented a key endorsement ...

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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

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On November 14, 1975, Spain evacuated its forces, repatriating even the Spanish corpses from its cemeteries, although its mandate had not formally ended. Morocco and Mauritania invaded in full force, and caught the Polisario in a pincer movement. Heavy fighting ensued, and the Mauritanian army did not succeed in penetrating the territory until it had received Moroccan aid. During the fighting, tens of thousands of Sahrawi refugees fled the advancing troops, heading for distant villages such as Tifariti and Guelta Zemmur. After aerial bombard ...

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History of Western Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Background, History of Western Sahara - Spanish Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Negotiations on withdrawal, History of Western Sahara - Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion, History of Western Sahara - The cease-fire, History of Western Sahara - Timeline

Read more here: » History of Western Sahara: Encyclopedia II - History of Western Sahara - Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion

In late 1975, Spain held meetings with Polisario leader El-Ouali, to negotiate the terms for a handover of power. But at the same time, Morocco and Mauritania began to put pressure on the Franco government: both countries argued that Spanish Sahara formed an historical part of their own territories. The United Nations became involved after Morocco asked for an opinion on the legality of its demands from the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the UN also sent a visiting mission to examine the wishes of the population. The visiting miss ...

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History of Western Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Background, History of Western Sahara - Spanish Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Negotiations on withdrawal, History of Western Sahara - Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion, History of Western Sahara - The cease-fire, History of Western Sahara - Timeline

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In 1884, Spain claimed a protectorate over the coast from Cape Bojador to Cap Blanc. Later, the Spanish extended their area of control. In 1958 Spain joined the previously separate districts of Saguia el-Hamra (in the north) and Río de Oro (in the south) to form the province of Spanish Sahara. Raids and rebellions by the indigenous Sahrawi population kept the Spanish forces out of much of the territory for a long time. Ma al-Aynayn started an uprising against the French in the 1910s, at a time when France had expanded its influence a ...

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History of Western Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Background, History of Western Sahara - Spanish Sahara, History of Western Sahara - Negotiations on withdrawal, History of Western Sahara - Moroccan-Mauritanian invasion, History of Western Sahara - The cease-fire, History of Western Sahara - Timeline

Read more here: » History of Western Sahara: Encyclopedia II - History of Western Sahara - Spanish Sahara