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Spain Government 1996
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Administrative divisions:
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad
autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La
Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia, Extremadura,
Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco
there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta,
Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la
Gomera) with administrative status unknown
1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
18 years of age; universal
King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime
Minister Narcis SERRA y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister
is the supreme consultative organ of the government
bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales)
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by June 1997); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (255 total) PSOE 117, PP 107, CiU 15,
PNV 5, IU 2, other 9
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados):
elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by June 1997); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141, IU 18,
CiU 17, PNV 5, CC 4, HB 2, other 4
Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
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Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left:
Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez; Democratic Social Center (CDS),
Rafael CALVO Ortega; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ
Marquez, secretary general; Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo GARCIA
Damborenea; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez; United
Left (IU - a coalition of parties including the PCE, a branch of the PSOE,
and other small parties), Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez
Convergence and Union (CiU), Miquel ROCA i Junyent, secretary general;
Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS Antia and Jose Antonio
ARDANZA; Basque United People (HB), Jon IDIGORAS Guerricabeitia and Inaki
ESNAOLA; Canarian Coalition (CC), a coalition of five parties
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Other political or pressure groups:
on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First
of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the
government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the
Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union
of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO);
business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university
students
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, EC,
ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 8, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NACC, NAM
(guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIH, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
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Diplomatic representation in US:
Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA Eiseley
2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
[1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San
Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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US diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the
national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms
includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two
promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the
Strait of Gibraltar
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