SOCIAL SCIENCE- UNIT 3 SUMMARY (SPANISH POLITICAL ORGANISATON)
UNIT 3- SPANISH
POLITICAL ORGANISATION
1. THE CONSTITUTION OF 1978
Seven people from different political
parties worked together to write it.
It was approved by Parliament and by
the majority of Spanish citizens in a referendum on the 6th of
December 1978.
*Characteristics of the Constitution
of 1978:
a-It is the foundation of democracy
in Spain
b-It presents the most important
values of the country: freedom, justice and equality.
c-It outlines the Government’s
organisation and obligations
d-It covers the rights and responsibilities of Spanish citizens.
*right: it is something a person is
allowed to do (access to healthcare and education)
*responsibility: it is an obligation
to do something (pay taxes and respect the law)
e-It defines the national flag
f-There are four official languages
in Spain: Castellano, Gallego, Euskera and Catalan.
g-It defends equality among the
Spanish citizens. It protects them against discrimination based on gender, sex,
race, religion or opinion.
The Constitution defines Spain as:
a-A democratic state: citizens can
vote for representatives in government.
b-A territorially decentralised
state: the autonomous communities have the right to self-govern.
c-A parliamentary monarchy:
*The monarch represents the country
as Head of State.
*The Parliament is responsible for
making and approving laws.
2.
ELECTIONS
-In a democracy, according to the
Constitution, Spanish citizens aged 18 or older have the right to vote.
Remember, you can get the Spanish citizenship if you are born in Spain or if
you’ve been living and working 10 or more years in this country.
-These citizens vote in elections to
elect the national, autonomous and municipal governments.
-General, autonomous and municipal
elections are called every four years.
-The different political parties,
campaign before an election to explain their plan and how they want to improve
society.
-People vote by secret ballot and put
it in an envelope. Each vote is anonymous. They must show their ID first.
3.
THE SPANISH MONARCHY
Spain is a parliamentary monarchy:
*The monarch, Felipe VI, is the Head
of State and represents the country in international relations. He is also the
commander in chief of the Spanish Army.
*the Parliament develops and approves
laws.
The Constitution states that the
firstborn male child is the heir to the throne. However, it permits a female to
reign if she has no brothers. For example, if there are two descendants:
*Different sex, the male is the heir.
*Same sex, the eldest is the heir
(which is the case of Leonor and Sofía. Leonor is the eldest, Princess of
Asturias and heir to the throne).
4. THE DIVISION OF POWER
The Constitution establishes three
INDEPENDENT powers of state:
-legislative power
-executive power
-judicial power
* Check graphic summary PB. Page 48.
a-LEGISLATIVE POWER
Parliament has two chambers:
*The lower chamber: Congress of Deputies. Member of
the Congress are called deputies.
*The upper chamber: Senate. Members of the Senate are
called senators.
The role of Parliament is to represent all Spanish
citizens. Parliament members are chosen by the voters in general elections
every four years.
-Functions of each chamber
|
PARLIAMENT |
|
|
CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES |
SENATE |
|
They
can develop and approve laws |
They
can develop and approve laws |
|
Deputies
can vote against a law developed by the Senate. |
They
represent the different autonomous communities |
|
- |
They
ensure that the autonomous communities follow the Constitution. |
b-EXECUTIVE
POWER
It is formed
by the Prime Ministers and the different ministers.
The Prime
Minister and the members of Parliament are democratically elected by the
voters. However, in order to form a government, they need to win the elections
by absolute majority. If not, they
will need to make alliances with other political parties (members of
Parliament) to obtain the majority of deputies that way. (Example: coalition
PSOE-PODEMOS in the general government or pact PP-VOX in Andalucía)
The Prime
Minister:
-He/she is
the Head of Government.
-He/she
chooses his-her ministers who work in different areas (education, healthcare,
economy…)
-Both Prime
Ministers and ministers propose ideas and make decisions about domestic and
foreign policy.
The members
of the different political parties choose their leader within the political
party. (For example:
Pedro Sánchez (PSOE), Pablo Casado (PP), Santiago Abascal (VOX), Irene Montero
(UNIDAS PODEMOS)
c- JUDICIAL POWER
It belongs to
the courts and tribunals.
Judges and
magistrate make sure that everyone obeys the law.
There are two
main courts (the highest):
-The Supreme
Court
-The
Constitutional Court
*Functions of
each court
|
SUPREME COURT |
CONSTITUTIONAL
COURT |
|
It
can accept or reject sentences passed in the lower courts. |
It
decides if laws or processes are in accordance (follow) the Constitution (
The “Independence “Procés” in
Cataluña) |
|
It
can initiate legal proceedings against government officials if necessary (PP
or PSOE corruption scandals) |
It
can also reject decisions made by the Supreme court. |