Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir
Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968
head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister
equivalent) Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004);
First Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister (and Minister of the
Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004)
and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance)
Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are
non-binding
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the
majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and
elected by the National Assembly; election last held 14 March 2004
(next to be held March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the
monarch on the proposal of the president
election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (PSOE) elected
president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%
Legislative branch:
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes
Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats - 208 members
directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the
regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of
Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are
elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be held March
2008); Congress of Deputies - last held 14 March 2004 (next to be
held March 2008)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE
37.98%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, CiU 1.99%, PNV 2.8%, CC
2.4%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress
12, CiU 4, PNV 6, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, IU 3.2%,
CC 0.9%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU
5, CC 3, other 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:
Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist Party or
PNV [Josu Jon IMAZ]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona ERRAZTI];
Canarian Coalition or CC (a coalition of five parties) [Paulino
RIVERO Baute]; Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a
coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur
MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep
Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate
coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA);
Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA Gonzalez];
Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta];
Navarra yes or Na Bai (a coalition of four Navarran parties) [Uxue
BARKOS Berruezo]; Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey];
Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA];
Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ
ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU (a coalition of parties including the
PCE and other small parties) [Gaspar LLAMAZARES Trigo]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor
unions (authorized in April 1977); Socialist General Union of
Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or
USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers'
Commissions or CC.OO.
International organization participation:
AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB,
EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU,
ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, SECI
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNRWA,
UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carlos WESTENDORP
chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr.
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag description:
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy Spain