Isabella Carter
The Spanish Constitution, also known as the Constitución Española, is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. The current version was approved in 1978, three years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. The 1978 Constitution came into force on 29 December of the same year, following a referendum on 6 December. This was the first constitution in Spain's history that was not imposed by a party but represented a negotiated compromise among all the major parties. The first Spanish constitution was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of ratification | 19 March 1812 |
| Ratified by | Cortes of Cádiz |
| Date of approval | 6 December 1978 |
| Approved by | Spanish people in a referendum |
| Date of sanction | 27 December 1978 |
| Sanctioned by | King Juan Carlos I |
| Date of publication | 29 December 1978 |
| Date of enactment | 29 December 1978 |
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What You'll Learn
- The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems
- The 1978 Constitution was approved by the Spanish people in a referendum on 6 December
- The Constitution was sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December
- The Constitution came into force on 29 December 1978
- The Constitution marked the climax of the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of General Franco
The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems
The 1978 Constitution was drafted on the basis of negotiations and agreements between the different political parties represented in parliament. It has been described as the consensus constitution, and is the first which was not imposed by a party but represented a negotiated compromise among all the major parties. It was sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December 1978, before it was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (the government gazette of Spain) on 29 December, the date on which it became effective.
The Constitution is the basis for other rules, fundamental rights and public freedoms, the principles of action of the public authorities and the institutional and territorial organisation of the Spanish State. The higher values of Spain, as a social and democratic state governed by the rule of law, are freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism.
The Constitutional Court is the supreme body for the interpretation of the Constitution. It guarantees its primacy and judges conformity or non-conformity with the laws, provisions and acts challenged. The declaration of unconstitutionality can be promoted through the appeal of unconstitutionality, which can only be presented by the President of the Government of Spain, the Ombudsman, fifty deputies or fifty members of parliament, or through the question of unconstitutionality, which is raised by judges and courts.
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The 1978 Constitution was approved by the Spanish people in a referendum on 6 December
The 1978 Constitution is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems. It is the basis for other rules, fundamental rights and public freedoms, the principles of action of the public authorities and the institutional and territorial organisation of the Spanish State. The higher values of Spain, as a social and democratic state governed by the rule of law, are freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism.
The 1978 Constitution was not the first constitution in Spain. The first was the Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy, also known as the Constitution of Cádiz or La Pepa. This was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines.
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The Constitution was sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December
The current Spanish Constitution was sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December 1978, three years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. It was then published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (the government gazette of Spain) on 29 December, the date on which it became effective. The 1978 Constitution was approved by the Spanish people in a referendum on 6 December and was the first constitution in Spain's history that was not imposed by a single party, but was instead a negotiated compromise among all the major parties. It was drafted on the basis of negotiations and agreements between the different political parties represented in parliament and has been described as the consensus constitution. It is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems and the basis for other rules, fundamental rights and public freedoms, the principles of action of the public authorities and the institutional and territorial organisation of the Spanish State.
The 1978 Constitution was not the first in Spain's history, however. The first Spanish Constitution was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines. It was known as the Political Constitution of the Spanish Monarchy (Spanish: Constitución Política de la Monarquía Española), and also as La Pepa. It was one of the most liberal constitutions of its time, affirming national sovereignty, separation of powers, freedom of the press, free enterprise, and abolishing corporate privileges. The notable exception to its liberalism was its proclamation of Roman Catholicism as the official and sole legal religion in Spain.
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The Constitution came into force on 29 December 1978
The current Spanish Constitution came into force on 29 December 1978. This was three years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, who had ruled over Spain for nearly 40 years. The Constitution was approved by the Spanish people in a referendum on 6 December 1978. It was drafted on the basis of negotiations and agreements between the different political parties represented in parliament and has been described as the consensus constitution. It is the first constitution in Spain's history that was not imposed by a party but represented a negotiated compromise among all the major parties.
The 1978 Constitution is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems. It is the basis for other rules, fundamental rights and public freedoms, the principles of action of the public authorities and the institutional and territorial organisation of the Spanish State. The higher values of Spain, as a social and democratic state governed by the rule of law, are freedom, justice, equality and political pluralism.
The Spanish Constitution (Spanish: Constitución Española) is the supreme law of the Kingdom of Spain. It was sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December 1978, before it was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (the government gazette of Spain) on 29 December, the date on which it became effective.
The promulgation of the constitution marked the climax of the Spanish transition to democracy. It was the first constitution of Spain, and one of the earliest codified constitutions in world history.
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The Constitution marked the climax of the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of General Franco
The Spanish Constitution, also known as the Constitución Española, was approved by the Spanish people in a referendum on 6 December 1978. It came into force on 29 December of the same year. The Constitution was the first in Spain's history not to be imposed by a single party but to be a negotiated compromise between all the major parties. It was drafted on the basis of negotiations and agreements between the different political parties represented in parliament and has been described as the consensus constitution. It is the core of the Spanish political and legal systems and the basis for other rules, fundamental rights and public freedoms, the principles of action of the public authorities and the institutional and territorial organisation of the Spanish State.
The Constitution was enacted three years after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled over Spain as a military dictator for nearly 40 years. It marked the climax of the Spanish transition to democracy.
The current version of the Constitution was approved in 1978 and sanctioned by King Juan Carlos I on 27 December, before it was published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado (the government gazette of Spain) on 29 December, the date on which it became effective.
The first Constitution of Spain was ratified on 19 March 1812 by the Cortes of Cádiz, the first Spanish legislature that included delegates from the entire nation and its possessions, including Spanish America and the Philippines.
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Frequently asked questions
The Spanish Constitution was ratified on 19 March 1812.
The Spanish Constitution came into force on 29 December 1978.
The Spanish Constitution marked the climax of the Spanish transition to democracy after the death of General Franco, who ruled over Spain as a military dictator for nearly 40 years.
