Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. After the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975, the country went through a deep democratic transformation, the Transición, culminating in the Constitution approved by referendum on 6 December 1978 and in force from 29 December that year. 6 December is still a national holiday, Constitution Day.
The king
The head of state is the king, currently Felipe VI of Bourbon, who came to the throne in 2014 after the abdication of his father Juan Carlos I. The king represents the state, gives royal assent to laws, proposes the candidate for prime minister after consulting the parties, dissolves the Cortes and calls elections, and is supreme commander of the armed forces, but his acts must be countersigned by the government. Succession is hereditary: the heir to the throne is Princess Leonor (see the royal family).
The Cortes Generales
Legislative power lies with the Cortes Generales, the parliament, made up of two chambers:
- the Congreso de los Diputados, with 350 deputies elected every four years by proportional representation in provincial constituencies, a system that favours big parties and regional parties concentrated in one area;
- the Senado, the chamber of territorial representation, with 208 directly elected senators (four per province, with special rules for the islands, Ceuta and Melilla) and others appointed by the parliaments of the autonomous communities.
The Congress carries more weight: it votes confidence in the government and can override the Senate's veto.
The government
Executive power lies with the government, led by the President of the Government (presidente del Gobierno), in effect the prime minister. He or she is elected by the Congress on the king's proposal and can only be replaced through a constructive motion of no confidence, which must name an alternative candidate: this has happened only once, in 2018, when Pedro Sánchez replaced Mariano Rajoy. The prime minister appoints ministers and can dissolve the Cortes early, as happened in October 2026 with the calling of the 29 November election (see politics in Spain and elections).
Justice and safeguards
The judiciary is independent and governed by the General Council of the Judiciary. The highest court is the Tribunal Supremo in Madrid, while the Tribunal Constitucional ensures respect for the Constitution and resolves conflicts between the state and the autonomous communities. There is also the Defensor del Pueblo, the national ombudsman.
The autonomous communities
The Constitution created a "state of autonomies", divided into 17 autonomous communities and two autonomous cities, with their own parliaments and governments and wide powers over health, education and services (see administrative divisions). The flag, anthem and common language, Castilian, are set by the Constitution, which also recognises the other languages (see the flag and the Spanish language).