The Spanish Constitutional System

List of contributors xv
Table of Abbreviations xvii

Historical Constitutional Premises 1
Jorge Lozano Miralles and Juan José Ruiz Ruiz

1 Spain Is Established as a Social and Democratic State Subject to the Rule of Law (Art. 1.1) 9
Silvio Gambino
1.1 Spain as a Social and Democratic State under the Rule of Law (Art. 1.1 of the Constitution) 9
1.2 Spain as a Democratic State 12
1.2.1 Political Parties, Form of State and Rationalisation of the Form of Government 12
1.2.2 Political Representation, Equal Right to Vote, Electoral System 16
1.3 Spain as a State under the Rule of Law 19
1.3.1 Constitutional Provisions 19
1.3.2 Spain as a State under the Rule of Law and a Constitutional State under the Rule of Law: Rule of Law and Constitutional Principle 20
1.4 Spain as a Social State 22
1.4.1 The Welfare State between Predictions and Constitutional Implementation 22
1.4.2 The Spanish Experience within the Framework of Contemporary European Constitutionalism 26
1.4.3 Superior Values and Constitutional Principles Informing the Spanish Legal System 28

2 Sources of Law. Legislative Procedure. International Treaties. Relations with the European Union 39
Jorge Lozano Miralles
2.1 The Resolution Criteria for Normative Antinomies: Hierarchy, Competence and ‘Supplementarity’ 40
2.2 The Constitution 40
2.3 The Jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court 42
2.4 The Law 43
2.4.1 The Organic Law 44
2.4.2 The (Ordinary) Law 46
2.4.3 The Rules with the Force of Law Adopted by the Government 51
2.5 The Regulations 56
2.6 International Treaties 58
2.6.1 Applicable Legal Status 58
2.6.2 The ‘Classic’ Treaties 59
2.6.3 The ‘New’ Treaties 59
2.7 Relations with the European Union 60
2.7.1 The Principles of Primacy and Direct Effect 60
2.7.2 The Principle of Institutional Autonomy 62

3 The System of Fundamental Rights, Public Liberties and Duties 69
Fernando Puzzo
3.1 Rights as Fundamental Rights 69
3.2 The Nature of Rights and of Freedoms 74
3.3 General Characteristics of the Constitutional Recognition of Rights and Freedoms 75
3.3.1 The Structure of Part I of the Constitution: Closed or Open Character of the Catalogue of Rights? 76
3.3.2 The Formal Structure of Part 1 of the Constitution 79
3.3.3 The Different Degrees of Protection Attributed to the Constitutional Rights 80
3.3.4 Allocation of Fundamental Rights and Liberties in the Two Sections of Chapter II of Part 1 and the Criterion of Fundamentality 82
3.3.5 General Systematic Characterisation of Classificatory of Fundamental Rights in Order of Content 83
3.4 Effectiveness and Extent of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms: Direct and Immediate Effectiveness and Mediated Effectiveness 85
3.5 The Extent of Fundamental Rights and Liberties 87
3.6 Interpretation of Fundamental Rights and Liberties 88
3.7 Fundamental Rights and Principle of Equality 91
3.7.1 The Material Side of Equality 94
3.7.2 The Concept of Equality in Article 149.1.1 of the Constitution and the Jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court 96

4 The Guiding Principles of Social and Economic Policy 103
Fernando Puzzo
4.1 The Welfare State as the Basis of the Guiding Principles of Social and Economic Policy 103
4.2 Social Rights as Fundamental Rights 105
4.3 The Content and the Legal Effectiveness of the Rights Included in Chapter III of Part I of the Constitution 108

5 Guarantees of Fundamental Rights and Liberties 117
Fernando Puzzo
5.1 Common Guarantees of the Fundamental Rights and Their Classification 117
5.1.1 Objective or Institutional Guarantees 117
5.1.2 The Subjective or Individual Guarantees 119
5.1.3 The Defender of the People 120
5.1.4 Other Mechanisms in the Service of the Protection of Fundamental Rights 122
5.2 Exceptions: Guarantees of Fundamental Rights and Public Liberties of Division 1 of Chapter II 124
5.2.1 Normative Guarantees 124
5.2.2 The ‘Organic’ Legal Reserve 124
5.2.3 Judicial Guarantees 125
5.2.4 The Classification of Fundamental Rights Based on Their Guarantees 128

6 The Crown 133
Jorge Lozano Miralles
6.1 The Organs of the State in the Constitution: The ‘Form of Government’ 133
6.2 The Succession to the Crown 135
6.3 The Functions of the King 136
6.4 The Countersignature (refrendo) 140

7 The Parliament. Organisation and Functions 143
Jorge Lozano Miralles
7.1 The Central Role of Parliament in the Institutional Game and the Expression Cortes Generales 143
7.2 Organisation of the Cortes Generales 144
7.2.1 Bicameral Parliament: Imperfect Bicameralism and a Legal Body Itself 144
7.2.2 The Congress of Deputies 146
7.2.3 The Senate 148
7.2.4 Election Procedure 149
7.2.5 Organisation and Functioning of the Houses 149
7.3 Functions of Parliament 160
7.3.1 The Representative Function 161
7.3.2 The Legislative Function 161
7.3.3 The Budgetary Function 163
7.3.4 Control Function 164
7.3.5 The Planning Function 167
7.3.6 The Policy-Making Function 167
7.3.7 The Appointment Function of the Members of State Bodies 168

8 Government and Administration. Relations Between the Government and the Parliament 171
Jorge Lozano Miralles
8.1 The Government 171
8.1.1 Scant Constitutional Regulation 171
8.1.2 Dualistic or Monistic Executive? 172
8.1.3 The Executive Organisation 173
8.1.4 The Important Role of the President of the Government 176
8.1.5 The Functions of the Government 178
8.2 The Public Administration 181
8.2.1 The Principle of ‘Statutory Reserve’ 182
8.2.2 The Principle of Responsibility for the Administration 182
8.2.3 The Principle of Participation and/or Transparency 183
8.2.4 The Principles of the Organisation and Functioning of the Public Administration 184
8.2.5 The Council of State 185
8.3 The Relationship between the Government and the Parliament 185
8.3.1 The Investiture of the President of the Government 186
8.3.2 The Motion of Censure 187
8.3.3 The Matter of Confidence 187
8.3.4 The Individual Political Responsibility of Ministers and the Motion of No Confidence or Collective Responsibility of the Government 189
8.3.5 The Early Dissolution of Parliament 189
8.3.6 The Control Instruments 190

9 The Judiciary 193
Juan José Ruiz Ruiz
9.1 Constitutional Principles of the Judiciary 193
9.1.1 The Exclusivity Principle 194
9.1.2 The Jurisdictional Unity Principle 197
9.1.3 The Principle of Independence 199
9.2 The Statute of Judge 202
9.2.1 Impartiality or Independence of the Parties in the Process 202
9.2.2 Tenure 205
9.3 Personal Liability of Judges and Magistrates 207
9.3.1 Civil Liability 207
9.3.2 Criminal Liability 208
9.3.3 Disciplinary Liability 208
9.4 The General Council of the Judiciary 209
9.5 The Jury 214
9.6 The Prosecutor 215
9.7 Judicial Organisation 216

10 Constitutional Jurisdiction 219
Juan José Ruiz Ruiz
10.1 The Constitutional Court: Nature, Composition, Operation and Status of Judges 219
10.1.1 Nature 219
10.1.2 Composition 220
10.1.3 Statute of Judges 221
10.1.4 Organisation 224
10.2 Proceedings Before Constitutional Court 225
10.2.1 Appeal of Unconstitutionality 225
10.2.2 Preliminary Appeal of Unconstitutionality 227
10.2.3 Control of Constitutionality of International Treaties 228
10.2.4 Control of Constitutionality of Other Provisions and Resolutions 228
10.2.5 Exception of Unconstitutionality (“cuestión de inconstitucionalidad”) 229
10.2.6 Conflicts of Jurisdiction between State and Autonomous Regions 230
10.2.7 Challenge of Non-statutory Provisions and Resolutions of the Autonomous Communities 231
10.2.8 Conflicts between Constitutional Organs of the State 231
10.2.9 Conflicts in Defence of Local Autonomy 232
10.2.10 Individual Appeal for Protection of Fundamental Rights (recurso de amparo) 233
10.3 Reforms of the Constitutional Court and Its Powers 236

11 Territorial Organisation. The Model of Regional State 241
Juan José Ruiz Ruiz
11.1 Nature and Principles of Territorial Form of State 241
11.1.1 Principle of Unity 241
11.1.2 Manifestations and/or Consequences of the Principle of Unity 242
11.1.3 Principle of Autonomy 243
11.1.4 Consequences of the Principle of Autonomy 244
11.1.5 The Principle of Popular Sovereignty 251
11.1.6 Principle of Institutional Autonomy 253
11.2 Constitutional Guarantee of Autonomy. Regional Statutes as Constitutions 253
11.3 The Institutions of the Autonomous Communities 256
11.3.1 Parliament or Legislative Assembly 257
11.3.2 The President and the Government 258
11.3.3 The Administration 259
11.4 The distribution of powers 259
11.5 Matter Entitlements of Autonomous Communities 268
11.6 Resolution of Conflicts between the State and the Autonomous Communities 274
11.6.1 The Judicial Process (Reference to Chapter XII) 274
11.6.2 Article 155 of the Constitution 275
11.7 Instruments of Intergovernmental Collaboration 276
11.8 Participation of Autonomous Communities in Constitutional State’s Bodies 278
11.9 Controls Over Autonomous Communities 279
11.10 The Intermediate Administration (Province) and Municipalities 279

12 The Constitution and the Economic Model of Financing the Autonomous Communities 283
Fernando Puzzo
12.1 The Spanish State of Autonomies as Intermediate Formula between the Unified State and the Federal State and the Constitutional Experience of the Autonomous Communities 283
12.2 The Framework of the Economic Constitution and Characters of the Financing of the Autonomous Communities under a General System 285
12.2.1 The Transfer System: The CAs and the Participation in State Revenue 290
12.2.2 Transfers to Guarantee Solidarity and Complementary Levelling Assignments 291
12.2.3 Ceded Taxes and Taxes of the CAs 293
12.3 The Recent Evolution of the System of Financing the Self-governing Communities 295
12.3.1 The Financing System of theCommonRegime CAs in the Light of the Organic Law 3/2009 299
12.3.2 The Financing of the CAs Coming From the State 301

13 Reform of the Constitution 307
Juan José Ruiz Ruiz
13.1 Constitutional Reform Initiative and Procedures 307
13.1.1 Entities with Reform Initiative 307
13.1.2 Reform Procedures 308
13.2 The Ordinary Reform of the Constitution 309
13.3 Total or Extraordinary Partial Review of the Constitution 311
13.3.1 First Phase: Agreement in the Houses and Their Dissolution 312
13.3.2 Second Phase: The New Houses 313
13.3.3 Third Phase: The Referendum 315
13.4 Limits on Constitutional Reform 316