Government of the Marquis of Vega de Armijo | |
|---|---|
.svg) Government ofSpain | |
| 1906–1907 | |
.jpg) The Marquis before 1904 | |
| Date formed | 4 December 1906 |
| Date dissolved | 25 January 1907 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Alfonso XIII |
| Prime Minister | Antonio Aguilar y Correa, Marquis of Vega de Armijo |
| No. of ministers | 8[a] |
| Totalno. of members | 8[a] |
| Member party | Liberal–Democratic |
| Status in legislature | Majority (single-party) |
| Opposition party | Conservative |
| Opposition leader | Antonio Maura |
| History | |
| Predecessor | Moret II |
| Successor | Maura II |
Thegovernment ofAntonio Aguilar y Correa, Marquis of Vega de Armijo, was formed on 4 December 1906, following the latter's appointment asprime minister of Spain byKing Alfonso XIII on 3 December and his swearing-in the next day, as a result ofSegismundo Moret's resignation from the post on 3 December in the wake of the "crisis of the letter" (crisis del papelito). It succeeded thesecond Moret government and was thegovernment of Spain from 4 December 1906 to 25 January 1907, a total of 52 days, or 1 month and 21 days.[1]
The cabinet comprised members of theLiberal–Democratic alliance and twomilitary officers. With the Liberals deeply divided over the Law of Associations and a proposal to reformconsumption taxes,[2] the government collapsed on 23 January, unable to arrange an agreement between the various party factions.[3]
TheSpanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as asemi-constitutional monarchy during theRestoration period, awarding themonarch—under theroyal prerogative—the power to appointgovernment members (including theprime minister); the ability to grant or deny thedecree of dissolution of theCortes, or theadjournment oflegislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature ofroyal decrees; among others.[4][5]
The monarch would play a key role in theturnosystem by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organizeelections to provide themselves with aparliamentary majority.[6] As a result, governments during this period were dependent on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.[7][8] In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior togovernment formation, or when prime ministers raised amatter of confidence to the monarch.[9]
The political fallout from the "crisis of the letter" (crisis del papelito), which had brought down theprevious cabinet under López Domínguez, was instrumental in causing the downfall ofSegismundo Moret'ssecond government after only four days in power.[10][11][12] Having been rejected by several high-profile Liberal members during the cabinet's formation, internal turmoil within his party—with resignation threats from thepresidents of the Congress andSenate (José Canalejas andEugenio Montero Ríos, respectively) and the tabling of amotion of no confidence in theSenate by members of his own group—forced Moret to preemptively resign on 3 December 1906 to avoid a major parliamentary defeat.[13][14]
Unlike common practice, and due to the previous round of consultations having been held only five days earlier on 28 November,King Alfonso XIII opted instead for directly summoning prospective prime ministerial candidates to determine a solution to thepolitical crisis arising from Moret's resignation.[15][16]
| Consultations King of Spain | ||||
| Date | Consultee | Office/position | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 December 1906 | Eugenio Montero Ríos | President of the Senate Prime Minister (former) | Lib–Dem/Dem | |
| Marquis of Vega de Armijo | President of the Congress of Deputies (former) | Lib–Dem/Dem | ||
| Nominations | ||||
| Outcome → | Nomination ofEugenio Montero Ríos (Liberal) DeclinedNomination of theMarquis of Vega de Armijo (Liberal)  Accepted | |||
| Sources[15][16] | ||||
The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to Eugenio Montero Ríos, who declined the nomination out of his desire to prevent further divisions within the Liberal Party;[16] then to the Marquis of Vega de Armijo, who accepted the nomination.[17] A cabinet comprising members of theLiberal–Democratic alliance and twomilitary officers was formed and sworn in the next day.[18]
TheCouncil of Ministers was structured into the office for theprime minister and eightministries.[18]
| Preceded by | Government of Spain 1906–1907 | Succeeded by |
