El Sistema Político Español explicado para Extranjeros

Summary

Spain operates as a parliamentary monarchy, with King Felipe VI as a symbolic figurehead. The Prime Minister and ministers hold executive power, elected by the citizens. Legislative power rests with the General Courts, consisting of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. The judiciary, independent of the other branches, is overseen by the Supreme Court and the National Court. The Constitution of 1978 guarantees democracy and citizens' rights.

Takeaways

• 👑 Spain is a parliamentary monarchy with King Felipe VI as the head of state, but he has limited power and serves mainly as a ceremonial figurehead.
• 🏛️ The Prime Minister, currently leading the Government of Spain, holds the executive power along with ministers and is elected democratically.
• 🌍 The legislative power is vested in the General Courts, which are divided into two houses: Congress of Deputies and Senate.
• 👥 The Congress of Deputies consists of 350 MPs representing various political parties and is elected every 4 years by the Spanish citizens.
• 🗽 The Senate represents the Spanish territory with senators chosen by provinces, islands, and autonomous cities, as well as by regional parliaments.
• ⚖️ The judiciary power is independent and is exercised by judges and magistrates, ensuring checks and balances on the legislative and executive branches.
• 🏢 The Supreme Court and the National Court are the two most important tribunals in Spain, overseeing the judiciary power.
• 📚 The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is responsible for selecting judges and magistrates in the Spanish judicial system.
• 📜 Spain's Constitution of 1978 is the fundamental legal document that outlines the political system, territorial divisions, and rights and obligations of citizens.
• 🌐 The Constitution was established after the death of dictator Francisco Franco and represents Spain's transition to a democratic nation.

Q & A

What type of political system does Spain have?

Spain has a parliamentary monarchy.

Who is the current King of Spain?

The current King of Spain is Felipe VI.

What is the role of the King in Spain's political system?

The King of Spain acts as a ceremonial figurehead, symbolizing the unity of the country, moderating during political tensions, and representing Spain in official events and state visits.

Who holds the executive power in Spain?

The executive power in Spain is held by the President of the Government (Prime Minister) and the rest of the ministers that form the Government of Spain.

What is the legislative power in Spain?

The legislative power in Spain is held by the General Courts, which are split into two houses: the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.

How many deputies make up the Congress of Deputies in Spain?

The Congress of Deputies is formed by 350 MPs or deputies.

How often are the deputies in the Congress of Deputies elected?

The deputies are elected every 4 years through general elections.

How is the Senate in Spain composed?

The Senate represents the Spanish territory with each mainland province choosing 4 senators, major islands choosing 3, minor islands choosing 1, and autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla selecting 2 senators each. Some senators are also chosen by regional parliaments of autonomous communities.

What is the role of the judiciary power in Spain?

The judiciary power in Spain is independent from the legislative and executive branches and is held by judges and magistrates. It can condemn actions of the Government if they are unconstitutional.

What are the two most important tribunals in Spain?

The two most important tribunals in Spain are the Supreme Court and the National Court.

Which institution is responsible for choosing judges and magistrates in Spain?

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is responsible for choosing judges and magistrates in the Spanish judicial system.

What is the significance of the Constitution of 1978 in Spain?

The Constitution of 1978 is the most important legal document in Spain, establishing the form of government, territorial divisions, rights and obligations of citizens, and serving as the foundation of Spain's democracy.

Outlines

00:00

👑 Spain's Political System Overview

This paragraph introduces Spain's political system as a parliamentary monarchy where the King, Felipe VI, serves as a ceremonial figurehead. It explains that while the King symbolizes national unity and moderates during political tensions, the actual governance lies with the Prime Minister and the elected government. The Prime Minister, along with the ministers, holds executive power, managing internal and external affairs, administration, economy, and national defense. The legislative power is vested in the General Courts, which are divided into the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, representing the people and the territories of Spain respectively. The judiciary power is independent and is held by judges and magistrates, with the Supreme Court and the National Court being the key tribunals. The General Council of the Judiciary appoints these judicial officers. The Constitution of 1978 is highlighted as the foundational document that guarantees democracy and protects citizens' rights and freedoms.

Keywords

💡Parliamentary Monarchy

A parliamentary monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as the head of state within the parameters of a parliamentary system where the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from, and is accountable to, the legislature. In the context of the video, Spain operates under this system where King Felipe VI is the head of state but the actual governance is carried out by the Prime Minister and the elected representatives.

💡King Felipe VI

King Felipe VI is the current monarch of Spain, serving as a ceremonial figurehead. His role is largely symbolic, representing the unity of Spain and acting as a mediator during political tensions. The video script mentions him to illustrate the figurehead aspect of the Spanish political system.

💡Prime Minister

The Prime Minister in Spain is the head of government and holds executive power. They are elected democratically and are responsible for running the country's interior and foreign policies, administration, economy, and national defense. The video script emphasizes the Prime Minister's role as the 'real head honcho' in Spain's political structure.

💡General Courts

The General Courts in Spain represent the legislative branch of government. They are responsible for making laws and are composed of two houses: the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. The video script uses the term to describe where the legislative power resides in Spain's political system.

💡Congress of Deputies

The Congress of Deputies is the lower house of the Spanish parliament, similar to the UK's House of Commons or Germany's Bundestag. It consists of 350 MPs elected by the Spanish people every four years. The video script mentions it as a place where important debates and decisions are made.

💡Senate

The Senate is the upper house of the Spanish parliament, representing the country's territorial divisions. Senators are chosen by provinces and autonomous cities, with the video script highlighting how it differs from the Congress of Deputies in terms of representation and composition.

💡Judiciary Power

Judiciary power in Spain refers to the authority of the courts to interpret laws and administer justice. It is independent from the legislative and executive branches, ensuring checks and balances within the system. The video script mentions the Supreme Court and the National Court as key institutions within this power.

💡Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is one of the highest judicial bodies in Spain, responsible for hearing appeals and ensuring that laws are applied correctly. The video script includes it as part of the judiciary power, emphasizing the separation of powers in the Spanish political system.

💡National Court

The National Court is another key tribunal in Spain, dealing with serious criminal cases and administrative issues. It is mentioned in the video script to illustrate the judiciary's role in maintaining the rule of law.

💡General Council of the Judiciary

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is the institution responsible for selecting judges and magistrates in Spain's judicial system. The video script uses this term to show how the judiciary is staffed and operates independently from the political branches.

💡Constitution of 1978

The Constitution of 1978 is the fundamental legal document in Spain, establishing the structure of government, territorial divisions, and the rights and obligations of citizens. The video script refers to it as the document that guarantees democracy and protects freedoms in Spain.

Highlights

Spain is a parliamentary monarchy with a king as the head of state and a Prime Minister as the head of government.

The current King of Spain, Felipe VI, acts as a ceremonial figurehead and symbolizes the unity of the country.

The Prime Minister and ministers hold the executive power, responsible for interior and foreign policy, administration, the economy, and national defense.

The legislative power in Spain is held by the General Courts, which are split into two houses.

The Congress of Deputies is the lower house with 350 MPs representing various political parties.

The Senate is the upper house representing the Spanish territory with senators chosen by provinces and autonomous communities.

The judiciary power is independent from the legislative and executive branches.

The Supreme Court and the National Court are the two most important tribunals in Spain.

The General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) is responsible for selecting judges and magistrates.

Spain's Constitution of 1978 is the most important legal document, guaranteeing democracy and protecting citizens' rights and freedoms.

The Constitution of 1978 was written after the death of dictator Francisco Franco and marks Spain's transformation into a democratic nation.

The Spanish political system is characterized by a balance of power among the monarchy, government, Congress, and judiciary.

The Congress of Deputies is elected by the Spanish people every four years.

The Senate's composition reflects the territorial diversity of Spain.

The judiciary's independence ensures the impartiality of the legal system.

The General Council of the Judiciary plays a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the Spanish judicial system.

The Constitution establishes the form of government, territorial divisions, and the rights and obligations of citizens.

Transcripts

Who's in charge of Spain?

Well, it's the King, right?

Or is it this man?

Or the people sitting in this chamber?

All are met with the same answer:

Yes... and no.

For you foreigners coming to live in Spain

Today I'm going to give a simple and summarised explanation of how the political system works here in Spain.

Spain is a parliamentary monarchy,

which means that our head of state is a king

but the head of the government (the Prime Minister),

along with the rest of the MPs and politicians, are elected democratically by the citizens.

The current King of Spain, Felipe VI, doesn't really have that much power, acting more as a ceremonial figurehead

who symbolises the unity of the country, acts as a moderator during times of political tension

and represents us in various official events and state visits to different countries.

The real head honcho is the President of the Government (Prime Minister),

who, along with the rest of the ministers that form the Government of Spain,

hold the "executive power".

They run everything to do with interior and foreign policy, administration, the economy, national defence... and so on.

The legislative power is held by the General Courts.

The General Courts are split into 2 houses:

The lower house is the Congress of Deputies.

Which to you foreigners might look a lot like the House of Commons in the UK, or the Bundestag in Germany.

The Congress is formed by 350 MPs or "deputies" representing various political parties,

who are voted in by the Spanish people in general elections every 4 years.

It's what you might see on TV when there's an important debate going on about a new bill

or simply the usual entertaining bickering between politicians.

Democracy at its finest! Or is it?

Then there's the upper house, the Senate, which represents the Spanish territory.

Every province in the mainland chooses 4 senators each,

the major islands choose 3 senators each,

the minor islands only choose 1 each,

and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla get to select 2 senators each.

In addition, some senators are chosen by the regional parliaments of the autonomous communities.

Finally, there's the judiciary power, which is held by the judges and magistrates.

The judiciary is independent from the other two branches (legislative and executive).

This means that it doesn't answer to the politicians that are currently in power

and can condemn the actions of the Government at any moment if they are considered unconstitutional.

On a national level, the two most important tribunals in the country are the Supreme Court and the National Court.

The institution that chooses the judges and magistrates in the Spanish judicial system...

is called the General Council of the Judiciary (abbreviated as CGPJ in Spanish).

All of this that we've just been over is featured in a particularly special book:

Like in most countries, Spain has a Constitution, the most important legal document in the country,

which contains all of the basic rules and fundamental laws of the State.

And it is this very document that guarantees our democracy and protects the rights and freedoms of the citizens.

The current constitution is the Constitution of 1978,

which was written after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, and as the last step in Spain's transformation into a democratic nation.

It establishes the form of government, the many territorial divisions, the rights and obligations of the citizens...

And it touches upon the topics we've seen earlier, like the Crown, the Government, Congress, the judiciary...

That, in summary, was an ultra-simplified explanation of the Spanish political system.