Minority Governments in Spain

Abstract

Minority governments are predominant in Spain. Spain had either single-party majority or minority governments between its transition to democracy in the mid-1970s until a minority coalition formed in 2020. This chapter examines why minority governments form, how they govern, and how well they perform in Spain. Regarding formation, contextual factors during the transition to democracy and historical legacies from the 1930s encouraged single-party minority governments in the early years of the new regime. Political actors also established institutions and practices to make single-party minority governments a viable governing formula. The formation, functioning, and performance of minority governments also intertwine with the relevance and nature of regional parties and the decentralized state. Regional parties have little interest in governing Spain, yet want to receive policy concessions, further state decentralization and political support to govern their regions. In addition to multilevel exchanges, the study examines the government’s majority-building strategies in parliament and the use of office-based concessions to allies. Finally, the chapter seeks to explain why Spain’s minority governments have often performed as well as their majority counterparts, and why recent minority governments have governed with greater difficulty. It highlights three factors: political institutions, the government’s partisan bargaining position, and the reconcilability of party goals.