Prime Minister Of Spain

The President of the Government ( is the Spanish Head Of Government , but not the Head Of State , which is the King. The President of the Government is elected by the Congress Of Deputies (the lower house of parliament) on being proposed by the King . The current office is established under the Constitution Of 1978 . It is presently occupied by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero .

OFFICIAL TITLE

The Spanish head of government is known, in Spanish, as the ''Presidente del Gobierno''. Literally translated, this title is "President of the Government", but nevertheless the office-holder is commonly referred to in English as the ". However the Spanish for 'prime minister' is ''primer ministro''. Thus, for example, the Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom is the ''Primer Ministro del Reino Unido'', not the ''Presidente del Gobierno''.

In Spain the President of the Government is often called simply ''Presidente'', meaning 'President'. More than once this has caused embarrassing errors among foreign authorities, such as mistaking Spain for a republic. For example Jeb Bush , the Governor Of Florida , once mistakenly referred to the head of government as the "President of the Spanish Republic".

ELECTION

The President of the Government is not directy elected by the people but indirectly elected by the legislature. Following legislative elections, which take place every four years, the leader of the majority party, or the leader of the majority coalition, is usually proposed as President of the Government by the King and elected by the Congress of Deputies. The First Vice President Of The Government (or First Deputy Prime Minister) is appointed by the King on the proposal of the President.

LIST OF PRESIDENTS OF THE GOVERNMENT

This list only comprises the current period of Spanish democracy. To see the full list, refer to List Of Presidents Of The Government (Spain) .

SEE ALSO

Information About

Prime Minister Of Spain