The legislative power in different countries has a different structure. In some states, it is concentrated in the hands of one person (monarch or dictator), in others the legislative branch of power is in the hands of parliament, such as in Spain. Below we will talk about the structure and features of the parliament of this state.
Name of the Parliament of Spain
The Spanish parliament has a long past that goes back to the Middle Ages. It all began back in 1137 in Leon, where the first analogue of the Spanish parliament was created, which included the clergy and nobles. And only in 1188 ordinary citizens were able to get into parliament. Thus began the history of Spanish parliamentarism. The parliament in Spain is called the “Cortes General Assembly”.
Lower Chamber
The structure of the Spanish parliament is somewhat similar to the highest legislative bodies of the Russian Federation. It consists of two chambers, each of which performs its functions.
The lower house, or as it is commonly called the "congress of deputies", consists of 350-400 deputies selected from various provinces of Spain. Each province is represented by at least two deputies and one additional for every 175 thousand inhabitants.
Upper chamber
The upper house (or senate) consists of 208 senators. 43 senators are elected king of Spain, the procedure for appointing the rest is determined by elections that are held by the majority system. The election procedure is rather complicated. Among other things, different numbers measure the number of senators:
- 4 senators each are elected from the provinces (constituting a multi-mandate majority district);
- 3 senators each elect the Big Canary Islands, Tenerife Island, Mallorca Island;
- 2 - the cities of Ceuta and Melilla (located on the African continent);
- 1 - islands, except the above;
Parliament Functions
The Spanish parliament performs several important functions for the state. The first function is to create laws that will complement Spanish law. Parliament may also adopt a new Constitution. However, there is one subtlety. If the creation of a new Constitution begins, then the old parliament of Spain dissolves, and then a new one begins to form.
An important part of the state is the distribution of finances. The Parliament of Spain is engaged in the formation of the state budget, which has a positive effect on the life of the population, because the parliament is engaged in the formation of the revenue and expenditure part of the budget. The budget construction project itself must be put to the vote no later than three months before the end of the previous one (which is one year).
The advantage of such a system is the impossibility of changing tax laws just like that, without special need. Interest on government loans is also included in the expense item, which greatly facilitates the work of the entire financial system.
The next function of the Spanish parliament is the process of electing the prime minister of the state, as well as the formation of the highest bodies of state power and the supreme courts of the country.
The chairman of the government is appointed by the lower house of parliament, through a process called the "Position Dispute."
Powers of Parliament
The Parliament of Spain is the highest legislative body of the country, the general cortes of which are able to issue the following types of laws: organic, authorizing, on the state budget and ordinary. Consider this list in more detail:
- Organic laws are issued to regulate the most basic areas of society: human rights and freedoms, the activities of trade unions, legislative initiative, and so on.
- Empowering laws allow the government to take control of some of the legislative functions of the legislature. It has two forms: standard and urgent. The standard form delegates authority to the government in the form of a regular law, with its subject, objectives and timing for the government of Spain to regulate certain issues. The second form, more urgent, is maternity laws. This method is used during any emergency. But even here there are restrictions, because the Spanish parliament does not have the right to infringe on people's freedom, the basic institutions of society, as well as the electoral system.
- State budget laws examine the structure of government revenues and expenditures. They relate to changes in the credit system or expense items.
- Ordinary laws apply to all other issues.
Despite such legislative force, any law adopted by the Spanish Parliament will not mean anything without the voice of the king, who will approve or deny it.
Parliament may change the prime minister of the state by voting. He submits a resignation resolution, which is approved by the Spanish king. After the prime minister becomes a person approved by parliament.
Parliament dissolution
The king has the exclusive right to dissolve parliament in Spain for several reasons. There are three of them:
- During the adoption of the new Constitution, the composition of the parliament dissolves in order to meet again in the new composition.
- If you reject within two months the candidatures for the post of Prime Minister of Spain.
- When a parliament passes a constructive vote of no confidence to the government. If the government has not resigned during this time, then the king will have the opportunity to dissolve the parliament.
Political Situation Demonstrating Spanish Parliamentary Elections
The election process in parliament is clearly demonstrated by the 2016 elections, when the seats of the Cortes in the parliament were distributed among several parties. Subject to all the subtleties of the elections in Spain, the results were as follows:
- The People’s Party received 137 seats in parliament.
- PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) - "Spanish Socialist Workers' Party" - has 85 representatives in the Spanish Parliament. It is the largest socialist party in Spain. Her symbolism is presented below in the photo.
- "Podemos and the Allies" won 71 seats in the Spanish Parliament.
- The Citizens party received a total of 32 votes in the Spanish parliament.
The remaining parties received fewer votes (the largest number of seats was given to the "Left Republican Catalonia" - 9 seats)
Based on these statistics, we can conclude that the socialist parties are superior. This means that having a numerical advantage, it will be much easier for them to influence internal political processes. It is much easier to defend one’s interests by voting.
The Spanish people are very conscious, in 2016 a huge number of voters came to the polls. Of the total population of the state, which has the right to vote in elections, the turnout was 66.5%. The Spaniards are not indifferent to the fate of their state and its future.