Legal System of Spain
Spain is located in Europe. It is geographically situated in southwestern europe, bordering the mediterranean sea, north atlantic ocean, bay of biscay, and pyrenees mountains; southwest of france. The country achieved independence on 1492. The capital is Madrid.
Government Overview
Government Type: parliamentary constitutional monarchy Chief of State: King FELIPE VI (since 19 June 2014) Head of Government: President of the Government of Spain (prime minister-equivalent) Pedro SANCHEZ PEREZ-CASTEJON (since 2 June 2018) Cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president Administrative Divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma) and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia; Aragon; Asturias; Canarias (Canary Islands); Cantabria; Castilla-La Mancha; Castilla-Leon; Cataluña (Castilian), Catalunya (Catalan), Catalonha (Aranese) [Catalonia]; Ceuta*; Comunidad Valenciana (Castilian), Comunitat Valenciana (Valencian) [Valencian Community]; Extremadura; Galicia; Illes Baleares (Balearic Islands); La Rioja; Madrid; Melilla*; Murcia; Navarra (Castilian), Nafarroa (Basque) [Navarre]; Pais Vasco (Castilian), Euskadi (Basque) [Basque Country] National Holiday: National Day (Hispanic Day), 12 October (1492) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Legal System
The legal system of Spain is described as civil law system with regional variations International Law: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction
Constitutional Framework
The constitution has the following history: several previous; latest approved by the General Courts 31 October 1978, passed by referendum 6 December 1978, signed by the king 27 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 Amendment Process: proposed by the government, by the General Courts (the Congress or the Senate), or by the self-governing communities submitted through the government; passage requires three-fifths majority vote by both houses and passage by referendum if requested by one tenth of the members of either house; proposals disapproved by both houses are submitted to a joint committee, which submits an agreed upon text for another vote; passage requires two-thirds majority vote in Congress and simple majority vote in the Senate
Judicial Branch
Highest Court(s): Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo (consists of the court president and organized into the Civil Room, with a president and 9 judges; the Penal Room, with a president and 14 judges; the Administrative Room, with a president and 32 judges; the Social Room, with a president and 12 judges; and the Military Room, with a president and 7 judges); Constitutional Court or Tribunal Constitucional de Espana (consists of 12 judges) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges appointed by the monarch from candidates proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary Power, a 20-member governing board chaired by the monarch; judges can serve until age 70; Constitutional Court judges nominated by the National Assembly, executive branch, and the General Council of the Judiciary, and appointed by the monarch for 9-year terms Subordinate Courts: National High Court; High Courts of Justice (in each of the autonomous communities); provincial courts; courts of first instance
Legislative Branch
The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) (350 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): proportional representation Upper Chamber: Senate (Senado)
Citizenship and Suffrage
Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Spain Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Historical Background
Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Spain remained neutral during both World Wars but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39) resulting in a dictatorship. A peaceful transition to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975 and rapid economic modernization after Spain joined the EU in 1986 gave Spain a dynamic and rapidly growing economy.
This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Spain based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.