The return to parliamentarianism during the spanish transition: The transformation of the Cortes and the Parliamentary representation of the Basque Autonomous Community

Abstract

I would like to introduce you into the process of transformation that the Spanish Cortes went throught during the Spanish Transition, as well as the main caractheristics of the different Chambers that existed during the process. The restablishment of democracy in Spain started with the abolition of the francoist Cortes and the replacement for a demoliberal parlament. After Franco´s death in November 20 1975, his institution still continued operating as a result of the Government’s continuist character with Arias Navarro at the front and the inability of the opposition to bring him down and impose a political break. However, the increasingly unsustainable social unrest and the growing political instability forced King Juan Carlos I to promote a democratic change, in order to safeguard the legitimacy of the monarchy. Thus, the reform project, led by Adolfo Suárez, took charge of the state and launched the Law for Political Reform, a key element to the establishment of a legislative Chamber based on a pluralistic system. Starting from the legality of the Francoism, the LPR replaced it for another of the same liberal democratic stigma. So Francoist organic Cortes were supplanted by a new bicameral system whose representatives were elected in the general elections of June 15, 1977. Nevertheless, these Chambers had certain peculiarities of provisional, diffuse and multiple character. So, instead of simply reforming the fundamental laws of the former regime, they ended up stablishing the drawing up of the Spanish Constitution (the Magna Carta). It was definitely the Constitution of 1978 that established and defined the democratic nature of the future Spanish Parliamentarism, which started running with the start of the First Legislature in 1979.Keywords: Spanish Transition. Parliamentary History. Spanish Cortes. Basque parliamentary representation.