Unit 5 Spanish Politics and Culture
The Constitution
The constitution is the most important law in Spain. It was approved on December 6, 1978. The constitution defines the distribution of Spanish territory, the organization of the government, and the rights and obligations of the Spanish.
The constitution specifies the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms of Spain as symbols of the Spanish state.
- The constitution specifies the flag, the anthem and the coat of arms of Spain as symbols of the Spanish state.
- The national anthem is called the Royal March and has no lyrics.
- The shield contains symbols of other shields belonging to the different autonomous communities that make up Spain, such as the seignor or the columns of Hercules.
The king, Felipe VI, is the Head of State, but it is only a position to represent the Spanish people in international relations. This position is inherited, and thanks to the suppression of the salic law (which prevented women from inheriting the throne), their eldest daughter, Princess Eleanor, will one day be queen when she must succeed her father.
Rights and obligations contained in the Constitution
All citizens of the Spanish State have a series of rights and obligations to fulfill.
Some rights
- We are all equal before the law, therefore discrimination is prohibited. No one can be discriminated against based on race, appearance, sexual orientation, gender, or religion.
- We have the right to freedom and to be protected by law.
- We have the right to use public services such as education or health.
- We have the right to live anywhere in Spain and to travel freely.
- We have the right to have a decent job.
- We have the right to choose our political leaders through election.
Some obligations
- We must pay the taxes used to pay for public services
- We must take care of the environment, avoiding littering or contaminating it
- We must respect the laws
- We must respect the beliefs, culture and religion of other people
- We must respect public services
- We must not tolerate discrimination or unfair behavior.
How powers are organized in Spain
Many years ago, kings and emperors had all the powers: they made or broke the laws as they pleased, they commanded and controlled the army and the soldiers, and they decided judicially on the problems of the citizens, issuing the judgments they deemed appropriate.
Fortunately, after revolutions and struggles it was possible to separate the powers into three: the Legislative Power, the Executive Power and the Judicial Power.
In Spain it is organized that way.
This body is responsible for legislating, that is, dictating and approving laws.
The Parliament in Spain is made up of two parts: the Congress and the Senate. Members of Congress are called deputies and members of the Senate are called senators. The deputies proportionally represent the population that has voted for them and develop laws when the majority of the deputies vote in favor. Senators ensure that the autonomous communities follow the Constitution. State deputies and senators are elected by the people every four years
The executive power
It is in charge of enforcing the law and managing, according to the laws, the country's economy (Choose how you should spend the money of citizens on public services: schools, hospitals, public works.
After the general election, the party with the most votes is the Government. The President (Prime Minister) is the head of the Government. Ministers are appointed by the President and work in different areas, such as education, health, defense, or economics.
They are in charge of administering justice and passing sentences according to the laws approved by Parliament.
The judicial power in Spain belongs to the courts and tribunals, made up of judges and magistrates (lawyers and prosecutors).
They make sure that the laws are followed. The highest judicial bodies in Spain are the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court.
- The Supreme Court is the highest court. You can accept rejected judgments passed in lower courts.
- The Constitutional Court decides whether the laws introduced by Parliament are in accordance with the Constitution.
How the Spanish territory is organized
The Spanish territory is organized, that is, divided into Autonomous Communities.
An autonomous community is made up of one or more provinces. Each community has a Statute of Autonomy which, after the Constitution, is its most important law.
The Statute establishes the institutions of the community and the powers or issues on which it can decide, such as health or education. The autonomous communities and cities are governed by the parliament, the government and the autonomous president. The autonomous communities are 17 plus two other autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla).
Within each community in turn it is divided into provinces. The number of provinces that each community has is different. For example Andalusia has 8 provinces.
The autonomous communities appear in different colors. Try to memorize all the communities and complete this sheet