Political Framework

According to the constitution passed on 6th December 1978 Spain is a social and democratic state under the rule of law and has the form of a parliamentary government under a constitutional monarchy. The constitution limits the role of the monarch largely to representational functions. Functions performed by the king that go beyond this include ratifying laws and the appointment and dismissal of the head of the government (Presidente del Gobierno). The supreme legislative body in Spain is the parliament (Sp. Cortes Generales) which is divided into two houses: the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) and the Senate (Senado). Spain is politically organised into 17 autonomous communities or regions (comunidades autónomas) and two autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas) in North Africa: Ceuta and Melilla.