Spanish Constitution of 1978

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The Spanish Constitution of 1978 is the culmination of the Spanish transition to democracy.

Contents

1 Preamble
2 Structure of the State
3 Notes
4 External links

Preamble

Writing the preamble of the constitution was considered an honour, and a task requiring great literary ability. The person chosen for this purpose was Enrique Tierno Galván. The full text of the preamble states:

The Spanish Nation, wishing to establish justice, liberty and security, and to promote the welfare of all who make part of it, in use of her sovereignty, proclaims its will to:

:Guarantee democratic life within the Constitution and the laws according to a just economic and social order.

:Consolidate a State ensuring the rule of law as an expression of the will of the people.

:Protect all Spaniards and all the peoples of Spain in the exercise of human rights, their cultures and traditions, languages and institutions.

:Promote the progress of culture and the economy to ensure a dignified quality of life for all

:Establish an advanced democratic society, and

:Collaborate in the strengthening of peaceful and efficient cooperation among all the peoples of the Earth.

Consequently, the Cortes approve and the Spanish people ratify the following Constitution.

Structure of the State

The Constitution initially envisaged a largely unitary State divided with three exceptional Autonomous Communities for the three historically and culturally distinct regions of Catalunya, the Spanish Basque Country, and Galicia. These Autonomous Communities would form on the basis of Article 143. However, other regions, in accordance with the Article 143, acquired the status of Autonomous Communities. As a result, Spain is now composed almost entirely of Autonomus Communities with varying degrees of autonomy, to the extent that despite the constitutional precept that Spain is not a federation, Spain can now be argued to be a federation.

Article 143 Section 1. In the exercise of the right to self-government recognized in Article 2 of the Constitution, bordering provinces with common historic, cultural and economic characteristics, island territories and provinces with historic regional status may accede to selfgovernment and form Autonomous Communities in conformity with the provisions contained in this Title and in the respective Statutes.

Notes

↑ [El caminio de la Constitución en el Senado y la Comisión Mixta] by Antonio Fontán from Historia de la Transición, Diario 16, Madrid, October 1983 - April 1984, pages 552-555

External links

[Spanish full text at the site of the 25th anniversary], also [in Catalan], [Basque], [Galician] and [Valencian]. Unofficial translations [in English] and [French].
[Constitución española de 1978] at Wikisource

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