Spain is a parliamentary monarchy and decentralized state. It has a multi-party system with citizens voting for representatives in periodic elections. Power is divided among the central government, 17 autonomous communities and municipalities. The king is the head of state but has no real power, while legislative power lies with the parliament.

1. POLITICAL ORGANIZATION OF SPAIN

2. SPAIN IS A PARLIAMENTARY MONARCHY The king is the head of State, but he hasn´t got any power. He is a representative figure and the powe r lies on the Parliament .

3. LINE OF SUCCESION TO THE THRONE According to the Constitution, the succesor of the king will be his first son. Women are excluded if there are men in the line of succession.

4. SPAIN IS A DEMOCRATIC STATE Citizens choose their representatives in free,plural and periodic elections. In the general elections citizens choose their representatives to the Parliament (two chambers: Congress and Senate) PRESIDENT PARLIAMENT CITIZENS

5. http:// es.wikipedia.org / wiki / Anexo:Partidos_inscritos_en_el_Registro_de_Partidos_Pol%C3 % ADticos_del_Ministerio_del_Interior_de_Espa%C3 %B1a POLITICAL PARTIES INSCRIBED IN SPAIN REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY : Citizens choose their representatives in free, periodic an plural elections. The representatives chosen by the citizens choose the President of the Government.

6. CONGRESS OF THE DEPUTIES SENATE LEGISLATIVE POWER PARLIAMENT: TWO CHAMBERS

7. POLITICAL PARTIES REPRESENTED IN THE PARLIAMENT 2008-2012 LEGISLATURE 169 153 10 6 3 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 IN THE CONGRESS IN THE SENATE 123 105 ENTESA CATALANA DE PROGRÉS 15 8 4 OTHERS 8

8. EXECUTIVE POWER GOVERNMENT: PRESIDENT AND MINISTERS

9. JUDICIAL POWER SUPREME COURT GENERAL COUNCIL OF THE JUDICIAL POWER SUPERIOR COURTS OF JUSTICE

10. CONSTITUTION CONSTITUTIONAL COURT Spain´s present Constitution was approved in 1978. The Constitutional Court has to watch the constitutionality of laws and solve the conflicts between the State and the Autonomous Communities.

11. SPAIN IS A SOCIAL STATE The State provides the citizens with services considered as basic. EDUCATION SOCIAL SECURITY UNEMPLOYMENT SUBSIDIES SOCIAL SERVICES

12. RULE OF LAW No person or institution is above the law. The institutions of the State have to respect the laws and laws can´t be retroactive (they cannot be applied to facts that happened before laws were approved)

16. Alberto Nuñez Feijoo (GALICIA- PP) Vicente Álvarez Areces (ASTURIAS-PSOE) Miguel Ángel Revilla (CANTABRIA-PRC) Patxi López (BASQUE COUNTRY PSE- PSOE) Miguel Sanz (NAVARRE)UPN) Pedro Sanz (LA RIOJA- PP) Marcelino Iglesias (ARAGON- PSOE) PRESIDENTS OF THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES

17. Juan Vicente Herrera (CASTILE LEON- PP) Artur Mas (CATALONIA-CiU) Guillermo Fernández Vara (EXTREMADURA- PSOE) Esperanza Aguirre (MADRID-PP) José Mª Barreda (CASTILE- LA MANCHA- PSOE) Francisco Camps (VALENCIAN COMMUNITY- PP)

18. Ramón Luis Valcárcel (MURCIA- PP) José Antonio Griñán (ANDALUSIA- PSOE) Francesc Antich (BALEARIC ISLANDS- PS ILLES BALEARS-PSOE) Paulino Rivero (CANARY ISLANDS- CC) Juan Jesús Vivas (CEUTA- PP) Juan José Imbroda (MELILLA- PP)

20. LOCAL ADMINISTRATION: MUNICIPALITIES City or town councils are formed by a mayor and several counsilors, elected in local elections. Municipalities are in charge of providing their citizens with some services. The more inhabitants a city or town has, the more services will the municipality have to offer to its citizens (police, firefighters, cemetery, market, recycling, public transport…) They also collect special taxes: cleaning, trash collection… On this link, services municipalities have to provide, depending on their population: http://www.mma.es/secciones/calidad_contaminacion/ecogestion_ecoauditoria/ guia_emas_muni/servicios_municipales.htm

21. SUBSIDIARITY PRINCIPLE Distribution of tasks between the administrations. Every administration is in charge of providing their citizens with some services. If the town hall can provide some services, the Diputación Provincial is not obliged to do it and so on. Despite this, there are some conflicts of powers.