| Prime Minister of Spain | |
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| Presidente del Gobierno de España | |
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| Government of Spain Office of the Prime Minister | |
| Style | The Most Excellent |
| Type | Head of government |
| Member of | |
| Reports to | Monarch Cortes Generales |
| Residence | Palace of Moncloa |
| Seat | Madrid,Spain |
| Appointer | The Monarch with approval of theCongress of Deputies |
| Term length | Not fixed, based on the officeholder's ability to command parliamentary confidence[a] |
| Deputy | Deputy Prime Minister |
| Salary | €90,000 per annum[1] |
| Website | lamoncloa |
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Theprime minister of Spain, officially thepresident of the Government[2] (Spanish:Presidente del Gobierno), is thehead of government ofSpain. The prime minister nominates theministers and chairs theCouncil of Ministers. In this sense, the prime minister establishes theGovernment policies and coordinates the actions of the Cabinet members. As chief executive, the prime minister also advises themonarch on the exercise of theirroyal prerogatives.
Although it is not possible to determine when the position actually originated, the office of prime minister evolved throughout history to what it is today. The role of prime minister (then called Secretary of State) as president of the Council of Ministers, first appears in a royal decree of 1824 by KingFerdinand VII.[3] The current office was established during thereign of Juan Carlos I, in the1978 Constitution, which describes the prime minister's constitutional role and powers, how the prime minister accedes to, and is removed from office, and the relationship between the prime minister and Parliament.
Upon a vacancy, the monarch nominates a candidate for a vote of confidence by theCongress of Deputies, the lower house of theCortes Generales. The process is a parliamentaryinvestiture by which the head of government is elected by the Congress of Deputies. In practice, the prime minister is almost always the leader of the largest party in the Congress, although not necessarily. The prime minister's official residence and office isMoncloa Palace in Madrid.[4]
Pedro Sánchez, of theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), has been prime minister since 2 June 2018. He first came to power after a successfulmotion of no confidence against former prime ministerMariano Rajoy.[5] Since then, Sánchez has led three governments, the most—along withAdolfo Suárez—just behind fellow socialistFelipe González, prime minister from 1982 to 1996.[6] KingFelipe VI re-appointed Sánchez for the third time on 17 November 2023[7] after he reached acoalition agreement withSumar and gathered the support of other minor parties.[8] Histhird government took office on 21 November 2023.[9]
The Spanish head of government has been known, since 1939, as "President of the Government" (Spanish:Presidente del Gobierno).[10]
Not only is this term confusing for English speakers because Spain is not a republic, but because the parliamentary speakers are also referred to as presidents of their respective chambers. For example, both PresidentGeorge W. Bush and his brother, Florida governorJeb Bush, referred toJosé María Aznar as "president" on separate occasions,[11][12] andDonald Trump referred toMariano Rajoy both as "President" and "Mr. President" during Rajoy's 2017 White House visit.[13] While this term of address was not incorrect, it could be misleading to English speakers soprime minister is commonly used as a culturally equivalent term to ensure clarity.
Use of the term "president" dates back to 1834 and the regency ofMaria Christina when, styled after thehead of government of theFrench July Monarchy (1830), the official title was the "President of the Council of Ministers" (Presidente del Consejo de Ministros). This remained until 1939, when theSecond Spanish Republic ended. Before 1834 the figure was known as "Secretary of State" (Secretario de Estado), a denomination used today forjunior ministers.
Spain was not unique in this regard: it was one of several European parliamentary systems, includingFrance,Italy and theIrish Free State, that styled the head of government as 'presidents' of the government rather than the Westminster term of 'prime minister' (seePresident of the Council for the full list of corresponding terms). However the term 'president' is far older.
Since the 15th century, the Spanish monarchs have delegated their executive powers to important personages includingfavourites (Spanish:validos) andsecretaries of state. Thevalidos, which existed since the early 15th century to the late 17th century, were people in which the monarch had the highest confidence and they exercised the Crown's power in the monarch's name.[14] Since the 18th century, thevalidos disappeared and the secretaries of state were introduced. Both positions werede facto prime ministers (as demonstrated by the fact that since the tenure of thecount-duke of Olivares,valido ofFelipe IV, thevalidos were often called by courtiers and authors already in the 17th century as "principal minister or prime minister of Spain"[14]) although they can not be completely compared.
On 19 November 1823, after a brief liberal democratic period called theLiberal Triennium between 1820 and 1823,King Ferdinand VII re-established the absolute monarchy and created theCouncil of Ministers that continues to exist today.[15] This council, when not chaired by the monarch, was chaired by the secretary of state for foreign affairs (Spanish:Secretario de Estado y del Despacho de Estado), who acted as prime minister.[15] This role was ratified by theRoyal Statute of 1834, which constitutionalized for the first time the figure of the prime minister under the name of "President of the Council of Ministers", invested with executive powers.
During the 19th century, the position changed names frequently. After theGlorious Revolution of 1868, it was renamedPresident of the Provisional Revolutionary Joint and laterPresident of the Provisional Government. In 1869, the office resumed the name ofPresident of the Council of Ministers. Following the abdication ofKing Amadeus I, during theFirst Republic (1873–1874) the office was known as thePresident of the Executive Power and was alsohead of state. In 1874, the office name reverted toPresident of the Council of Ministers.
Since its inception, the prime minister has been appointed and dismissed by the will of the monarch. Successive constitutions have confirmed this royal prerogative of the monarch in theConstitution of 1837 (article 47),[16] article 46 of theConstitution of 1845,[17] theConstitution of 1869 (article 68),[18] and theConstitution of 1876 (article 54).[19]
With the fall of the First Republic and the restoration of theBourbon dynasty on KingAlfonso XII, the office maintained its original name until thedictatorship of Primo de Rivera, when it was renamed toPresident of the Military Directory. In 1925, the original name was restored again.
TheRepublican Constitution of 1931 provided for the prime minister and the rest of the government to be appointed and dismissed by thePresident of the Republic but they were responsible before the Parliament and the Parliament could vote to dismiss the prime minister or a minister even against the will of the president of the republic.[20] In theCivil War, the head of government among theNationalists was calledChief of the Government of the State and since January 1938 the office acquired the current name,President of the Government, but between that date and 1973 the office was held byFrancisco Franco as dictator of Spain.
In 1973,Francisco Franco separated the head of state from the head of government, and that division still exists today, with the prime minister democratically elected by theParliament which is itself elected by universal suffrage, free and equal.Adolfo Suárez was the first democratically elected prime minister of the post-Franco government. He was originally appointed by KingJuan Carlos I on 3 July 1976, and he was confirmed in the office by popular vote after the1977 Spanish general election.[21]
Once ageneral election has been called by themonarch, political parties designate their candidates to stand for prime minister—usually the party leader. A prime minister is dismissed from office the day after the election, but remains in office as a caretaker until his/her successor is sworn in.
Following the general election and other circumstances provided for in the Constitution, the sovereign meets with the leaders of theparties represented in the Congress of Deputies, and then consults with theSpeaker of the Congress of Deputies (Spanish:Presidente de Congreso de los Diputados) as representative of the whole of parliament), before nominating a candidate for the prime ministership. This process is spelled out in Section 99 of the Constitution.[22]
Bypolitical custom established byJuan Carlos I since the ratification of the 1978 Constitution, the sovereign's nominees have usually been from parties who have aplurality of seats in the Congress (i.e. the largest party). Although there is no legal requirement for this, it is seen as a royal endorsement of the democratic process—a fundamental concept enshrined in the 1978 Constitution. The largest party can end up not ruling if rival parties form acoalition—as happened in 2018 with the election of PSOE leaderPedro Sánchez. More commonly, if neither of the two major parties (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party orPeople's Party) are able to command an absolute majority of the Congress by themselves, one will rule as a minority by adopting some aspects of the minor party platforms in an effort to attract them into parliamentary agreements to vote in the major party's favour, or at least abstain.
The monarch's order nominating a prime ministerial candidate is countersigned by the Speaker of the Congress, who then presents the nominee before the Congress of Deputies in a process known as aparliamentary investiture (Investidura parlamentaria). During the investiture proceedings, the candidate describes theirpolitical agenda in anInvestiture Speech to be debated and submitted for avote of confidence (Cuestión de confianza) by the Congress, effecting anindirect election of the head of government.[22][23]
Confidence is awarded if the candidate receives a majority of votes in the first poll (currently 176 out of 350 MPs), but if the confidence is not granted, a second vote is scheduled forty-eight hours later in which a simple majority of votes cast (i.e., more "yes" than "no" votes) is required.[22] Following the second vote, if confidence by the Congress is still not reached, then the monarch again meets with political leaders and the Speaker, and submits a new nominee for a vote of confidence (exceptionally, in 2016 KingFelipe VI opted for not nominating more candidates and call for new elections[24]).[22] If, within two months, no candidate has won the confidence of the Congress then the monarch dissolves the Cortes and calls for a new general election.[22] The monarch's royal decree is countersigned by the Speaker of the Congress.[22]
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After the nominee is confirmed, the Speaker of the Congress formally reports the fact to the sovereign. The monarch then appoints the candidate as the new prime minister and this too is countersigned by the Speaker.[22]
During the swearing-in ceremony presided over by the monarch, customarily at the Audience Hall of theRoyal Palace of Zarzuela, theprime minister–designate takes anoath of office over an open Constitution and—at choice since 2014[26]—next to aBible and acrucifix. The prime minister must take the oath or affirmation placing the right hand on the Constitution. Currently, only one prime minister has refused to take the oath of office next to religious symbols:Pedro Sánchez, along with most of his Cabinet members.[27] His predecessor,Mariano Rajoy, a Catholic, put his right hand on the Constitution and, at the same time, his left hand on the Bible.[28] As per tradition, if the members of the government choose not to take the oath along with any religious symbols, they use the word "prometo" ("I promise"), whereas if the take the oath with the Bible, they use the word "juro" ("I swear"). The oath as taken by Prime Minister Zapatero on his first term in office on 17 April 2004 was:[25]
Juro/Prometo, por mi conciencia y honor, cumplir fielmente las obligaciones del cargo de Presidente del Gobierno con lealtad al Rey, guardar y hacer guardar la Constitución como norma fundamental del Estado, así como mantener el secreto de las deliberaciones del Consejo de Ministros.
I swear/promise, under my conscience and honor, to faithfully execute the duties of the office of Prime Minister with loyalty to the King, obey and enforce theConstitution as the main law of the State, and preserve in secret the deliberations of theCouncil of Ministers.
Once appointed, the prime minister forms his government whose ministers are appointed and removed by the monarch on the prime minister's advice. In the political life of Spain, the monarch would already be familiar with the various political leaders in a professional capacity, and perhaps less formally in a more social capacity, facilitating their meeting following a general election. Conversely, nominating the party leader whose party maintains a plurality and who are already familiar with their partymanifesto facilitates a smoother nomination process. In the event ofcoalitions, the political leaders would customarily have met beforehand to hammer out a coalition agreement before their meeting with the Sovereign.
Title IV of the Constitution defines theGovernment and its responsibilities.[22] The Government consists of the prime minister and the ministers. The government conducts domestic andforeign policy, civil and military administration, and thedefense of the nation all in the name of the monarch on behalf of the people. Additionally, the government exercises executive authority and statutory regulations.[22] The main collective decision-making body of the Government is theCouncil of Ministers, chaired by the prime minister and, after a formal request by the Prime Minister, by themonarch.
There is no provision in the Spanish Constitution for explicitly granting anyemergency powers to the government. However, Section 56 of the Constitution vests the monarch as the "arbitrator and moderator of the institutions" of government,[The King] arbitrates and moderates the regular functioning of the institutions (arbitra y modera el funcionamiento regular de las instituciones).[29][30] This provision could be understood as allowing the monarch or his government ministers to exercise emergency authority in times of national crisis, such as when the monarch used his authority to back the government of the day and call for the military to abandon the23-F coup attempt in 1981.[31][32]
The prime minister also assumes political responsibility for most acts of the sovereign. While the monarch is vested with executive power, his acts are not valid unless countersigned by a minister. Under Article 64 of the Constitution, that minister—usually the prime minister—assumes political responsibility for the act in question. In these sense, the Constitution grants the prime minister the initiative to request the monarch for calling areferendum, for calling for new elections or for dissolving any of the legislative chambers. In Spain, the government ministers cannot force the prime minister resignation and this idea is reinforced when the Constitution grants the prime minister the sole initiative to request the Congress for avote of confidence. In constitutional matters, the primacy of the prime minister over the ministers is also evident, since the prime ministers alone is responsible for the government initiative tochallenge the constitutionality of a law.
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TheOffice of the Prime Minister (Spanish:Presidencia del Gobierno,lit. 'Presidency of the Government') is composed of those government departments, services and staff that are at the service of the Prime Minister to fulfill its constitutional duties.[33] It was established around 1834 when officials and budget began to be assigned to the personal Secretariat of the Prime Minister. Today, it acts as aministerial department, although it is not formally one of them, and approximately 2,000 people work there.[34]
The Prime Minister's Office principal departments are:[35]
The autonomous agencyPatrimonio Nacional, which manages Crown properties, depends on this Office through the Ministry of the Presidency.[36]
The Cabinet Office, through the General Secretariat of the Prime Minister's Office, is responsible for protocol and security affairs.[35] Within the General Secretariat, there is a Department of Security of the Presidency of the Government (DSPG) that coordinates the efforts of theNational Police Corps and theCivil Guard in the protection of the Prime Minister and his family, as well as the infraestructure and personnel of theMoncloa Government Complex.[35]
The vehicles used by the Prime Minister are provided by theState Vehicle Fleet (PME), anautonomous agency of theMinistry of Finance that provides the government with all type of vehicles and well-trained drivers. The air transportation of the Prime Minister and other government officials is mainly provided by the45th Wing (planes) and the 402nd Air Force Squadron (helicopters).
The Parliament, and thus, the Government, sit for a term no longer than four years. Before that date, the prime minister may offer his resignation to the sovereign. If the Prime Minister does so while advising the monarch to dissolve parliament, the sovereign will call for asnap election, but no sooner than a year after the prior general election.[37]
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If a prime minister resigns without advising the monarch to call for new elections, dies or becomes incapacitated while in office, then the government as a whole resigns and the process of royal nomination and appointment takes place. Thedeputy prime minister, or in the absence of such office, the first minister by precedence, would then take over the day-to-day operations in the meantime as acting-prime minister, even while the deputy prime minister themselves may be nominated by the monarch and stand for a vote of confidence. Also, if at the conclusion of the four years, the prime minister has not asked for its dissolution, according to Title II Section 56, the monarch must dissolve the Parliament and call for a new general election.[38]
Although the prime minister's position is strengthened by constitutional limits on the Congress' right to withdraw confidence from the government, the Cortes Generales has two ways of forcing the prime minister's resignation: passing amotion of no confidence or rejecting a motion of confidence. In the first case, and following the German model, a prime minister can only be removed by aconstructive vote of no confidence. While the Congress can censure the government at any time, the censure motion must also include the name of a prospective replacement for the incumbent prime minister. If the censure motion is successful, the replacement candidate is automatically deemed to have the confidence of the Congress, and the monarch is required to appoint them as the new prime minister. As of 2023, onlyPedro Sánchez managed to remove a sitting prime minister with avote of no confidence in 2018, making him prime minister.[39][40] In the second case, the prime minister, after deliberation by theCouncil of Ministers, can propose a vote of confidence regarding the government's policies in Congress. If Congress does not give the prime minister its confidence, the prime minister must resign. As of 2023, only prime ministerAdolfo Suárez in 1980 andFelipe González in 1990 proposed a vote of confidence, both successfully.[41]
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The Prime Minister is the second authority of the Kingdom of Spain, outranking all other State authorities except members of theroyal family.[42]
In 2025, the Prime Minister received a salary of €90,010 (€90,449 according to theCouncil for Transparency and Good Governance) and additional €13,892 as member of parliament.[43] With this salary, the prime minister is not the highest paid official of Spain, being surpassed by other State authorities such as the royal family[44] (theKing, €277,362; theQueen, €152,540; and theQueen Mother, €124,815), thepresident of the Congress of Deputies (€230,931),[45] thepresident of the Constitutional Court (€167,169),[46] thepresident of the Supreme Court (€151,186)[46] and the president of theCourt of Auditors (€130,772),[46] among others.
The prime minister is constitutionally protected against ordinary prosecution. Although the Prime Minister does not havelegal immunity like the monarch, the prime minister, as well as the members of the Royal Family, the Government, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate, can only be criminally responsible before the Criminal Chamber of theSupreme Court (Spanish Constitution, Part IV § 102).
Although it is not formally regulated, Spanish custom establishes that the prime minister receives the treatment ofThe Most Excellent (Spanish:Excelentísimo Señor, f. Excelentísima Señora). This treatment has been customary for the government ministers since, at least, the 18th century, and in the case of the prime minister, this treatment is reinforced as member of theOrder of Charles III, whose article 13 states that "the Knights and the Dames of the Collar, as well as the Knights and Dames Grand Cross, will receive the treatment of Most Excellent Lord and Most Excellent Lady".[47]
The Spanish Constitution foresee the office ofdeputy prime minister and also the possibility of having more than one deputy prime minister. Although the position of deputy prime minister has existed intermittently since 1840, the Constitution endorses what was established in theOrganic Act of the State of 1967,[48] which provided for the first time the possibility of appointing more than one deputy and, in 1974, this provision became effective when prime ministerCarlos Arias Navarro appointed three deputies (José García Hernández,Antonio Barrera de Irimo andLicinio de la Fuente).[49] Since then, three more prime ministers (Adolfo Suárez,José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero andPedro Sánchez) have had more than one deputy.[50] Thesecond andthird governments of Pedro Sánchez holds the record for most deputies, appointing four.[51][50] This large number of deputy prime ministerships was interpreted as a maneuver to reduce the political weight of his second deputy prime minister and leader of the minority party in the coalition,Pablo Iglesias Turrión.[52][53][54]
According to article 101 of the Spanish Constitution, the prime minister and its government only ceases in the cases of resignation, a failed motion of confidence, amotion of no confidence against the prime minister or the death of the prime minister. In the first three options, there is no succession, because the prime minister remains ascaretaker prime minister until a new prime minister is elected by the Congress of Deputies.
If the Prime Minister dies, the 1997 Government Act provides that the Prime Minister be succeeded by theDeputy Prime Minister and, if there is more than one, by the Deputy Prime Ministers, depending on their order. If there is no deputy prime minister, the Government Act establishes that the prime minister will be replaced by the ministers, according to theorder of precedence of theDepartments. This means that the first in the line of succession after the deputy prime ministers would be theMinister of Foreign Affairs, followed by theMinister of Justice, theMinister of Defense and theMinister of Finance. These four ministers are the first and great offices created in 1714 byKing Philip V.[55]
The Order of Charles III, officially the Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, was established in 1771 by KingCharles III and is today the country's highest civil honor. The current regulation of the order, established in October 2002, states that the prime minister is the Grand Chancellor of the Order (second to the Grand Master, theMonarch).[47]
Upon taking office, the new prime minister shall be invested with the degree of Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order and with this rank he will act as Grand Chancellor of the same.[47] It is responsibility of the Grand Chancellor to submit to the approval of theCouncil of Ministers royal decrees granting the degrees of Collar and Grand Cross, and all titles of the different degrees of the Royal Order must bear his signature and the monarch's.[47]
The last persons to join the order wereTeresa Ribera andJosé Luis Escrivá; both received the Grand Cross for their services as government ministers.[56]
Upon retirement, it is customary for the monarch to grant a prime minister some honour or dignity. The honour bestowed is commonly the Collar of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic, the second highest civil honor, while the ministers receive the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III (the highest civil distinction).[57][58] This is because the prime minister is, since he is appointed as such by the sovereign, a Knight or Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III, for which he is awarded the next highest distinction.
In addition to these honors, the monarch might offer the former prime minister apeerage,[59] being the highest marks of distinction that he may bestow in his capacity as thefons honorum in Spain. Conventionally, theTitle of Concession creating the dignity must be countersigned by a government minister. When a title is created for a former prime minister, the succeeding prime minister customarily countersigns the royal decree.
Although prior to thereign of Alfonso XIII many noble titles were granted —or the rank of those who already possessed one was raised— to prime ministers and ministers (such as the Dukedom of Prim —granted to the daughter of late prime ministerJuan Prim— or the Dukedom of Castillejos —awarded to the other son of the aforementioned prime minister—), it was not until this historical period when it became customary, since KingAlfonso XIII granted a total of sixteen of these dignities to former prime ministers or their relatives during his reign.[60] Of these, four were dukedoms (granted to relatives of assassinated prime ministers), three were marquessates and two counties, as well as sevengrandships were granted.[60] Likewise, the monarch also rewarded with numerousgolden fleeces.[60] KingJuan Carlos I wanted to restore this tradition and, therefore, as a reward for their service, the last noble titles granted (both with grandship) were those ofAdolfo Suárez (to whom the golden fleece was also awarded in 2007[61]), who was createdDuke of Suárez in 1981[62] andLeopoldo Calvo-Sotelo, createdMarquess of the Ría de Ribadeo [es] in 2002, twenty years after holding the office.[63] The last prime minister to be offered a noble title wasFelipe González, who rejected the offer.[64] Since then, neither KingJuan Carlos I nor KingFelipe VI have offered prime ministers such an honor.
In 1983, the first government of Felipe González established the "Statute of Former Prime Ministers", which granted retired prime ministers, for four years, the right to have an office composed by two civil servants, a minimum endowment of 2.5 millionpesetas each year for office expenses and an official vehicle with driver.[65]
Nine years later, the government updated the Statute, removing the time limit the prime minister would receive privileges, including diplomatic assistance abroad, security, a personal salary for two years after leaving the office and, free pass in public transportation and an undetermined endowment for office expenses.[66]
Since 2004, the retired prime ministers are eligible for a seat in theCouncil of State for life.[67] As of 2025, only Jose María Aznar (2005–2006) andJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2011–2015) used this privilege.[68]
For thefiscal year 2023 (extended to 2024 and 2025), each of the living prime ministers receive €74,580 for the sustenance of their respective offices.[69]
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