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Spain - Politics |
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When the Spanish Civil War ended in 1939 the country fell under
the dictatorship of General Franco. During his regime Spain became largely isolated from
the international scene.
With Franco's death in 1975 the democratic government came into being with King Juan Carlos I
as head of state. King Juan Carlos played a pivotal role in the countries transition to
democracy as well as in preventing a coup attempt in 1981. As a consequence he is highly
respected by the Spanish people.
The countries current Prime Minister is Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. His Socialist Workers'
Party won a surprise victory over the Popular Party in March 2003, only days after the Madrid
Bombings.
Spain is split into 17 autonomous regions and has four major languages: Spanish, Catalan,
Gallego ( Galician ) and Euskera ( Basque ). Each region has its own elected authority,
although the level of autonomy given to each region varies considerably. Interestingly central
government is responsible for just half the budget allocated to the regions that have
enormous autonomy for their regions.
Spain joined NATO in 1982, became a full member of the European Union on 1 January 1986
and adopted the Euro in 1999. The country fully returned to the international arena in 1992
when it hosted the Olympic Games in Barcelona.
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