Spain's PoliticsThe Flag:the coat of arms is quartered to display the emblems of the traditional kingdoms of Spain (clockwise from upper left, Castile, Leon, Navarre, and Aragon) while Granada is represented by the stylized pomegranate at the bottom of the shield; the arms are framed by two columns representing the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar; the red scroll across the two columns bears the imperial motto of "Plus Ultra" (further beyond) referring to Spanish lands beyond Europe
Conventional Long Form Name:Kingdom of Spain Capital Cities:Madrid Type of Government:parliamentary monarchy National Holidays:National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas Date of Independence:small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain Chief of State:King JUAN CARLOS I Spain Ambassador:Ramón Gil-Casares
Location of Embassy:Washington D.C Location of Consulate:San Fransico, New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Boston U.S. Ambassador to Spain:Ambassador Alan D. Solomont Location of U.S. Embassy:Madrid Location of Consulte(s):Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Barcelona, Fuengirola, Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Sevilla, Trinidad and Tobago, A Coruña National Symbol:Pillars of Hercules |
Head of Government:President of Government Mariano RAJOY
Executive Branch powers:The Government is in charge of both domestic and foreign policy, as well as defense and economic policies As of 21 December 2011, the prime minister of Spain is Mariano RAJOY president of thePeople's Party, having been the leader of the opposition from 2004 to 2011. The number and the scope of competences of each of the Ministries is established by the prime minister. Ministries are usually created to cover one or several similar sectors of government from an administrative function Legislative Branch Powers:This legislature is bicameral, integrated by the Congress of Deputies (Spainish: Congreso de los Diputados) and the Senate(Spanish: Senado). The General Courts exercise the legislative power of the State, approving the budget and controlling the actions of the government. As in most parliamentary systems, more legislative power is vested in the lower chamber, the Congress of the Deputies. The Speaker of Congress, known as "president of the Congress of Deputies" presides a joint-session of the Cortes Generales. Judicial Branch Powers:The Supreme Court is headed by a president, nominated by the King, proposed by the General Council of the Judiciary. This institution is the governing body of the Judiciary, integrated by the president of the Supreme court, twenty members appointed by the King for a five-year term, among whom there are twelve judges and magistrates of all judicial categories, four members nominated by the Congress of Deputies, and four by the Senate, elected in both cases by three-fifths of their respective members. Sufferage:18 years of age; universal United Nations Representatives:Fernando Arias |