Spain Under Democracy, 1975–2011

1975

November 20th

General Francisco Franco dies. Six years previously he had named his successor Juan Carlos de Borbón, the son of the legitimate heir to the throne, Juan de Borbón. Though Juan Carlos had always been presented as a loyal supporter of Francoist policy (and had sworn an oath of allegiance to Franco and the Movimiento Nacional) he in fact held aspirations towards reform.

November 22nd

King Juan Carlos I is crowned.

The Prime Minister at the time of Franco's death was Carlos Arias Navarro, an arch-conservative who dithered over reform.

1976

The lack of serious reform results in serious civil unrest, protests and strikes throughout the year, and a surge of republicanism.

January

The government attempts to solve the crisis with a programme of limited reform but this has little effect.

Aril 23rd

Avui, the first newspaper to be published in Catalan since 1939, goes on sale on the Diada de Sant Jordi.

July 1st

Arias Navarro resigns and is replaced by Adolfo Suárez, controversially chosen by the King to begin the process of proper reform.

July

Amnesty is granted to political prisoners, excluding terrorists.

August

King Juan Carlos unilaterally renounces Franco's privilege of naming Spanish bishops.

October 9th

Ex-Franquist Minister Manuel Fraga and six associates launch a new conservative political party, the Alianza Popular ('Peoples' Alliance', AP).

November 18th

Suárez's Ley para la Reforma Polí­tica ('Political Reform Law'), introducing universal suffrage and a two-chamber parliamentary system, is passed by the Cortes by 425 votes to 59, with 13 abstentions.

December 15th

A public referendum endorses the bill by 94.2% to 2.6%, with a turnout of 77.72% of the electorate.

December

The Tribunal de Orden Público ('Public Order Tribunal'), a Francoist law court, is dissolved.

1977

An increase in bombings and kidnappings in the early part of the year both by the Basque terrorists ETA, left-wing terrorists such as the Maoist GRAPO and by right-wing lynch mobs, culminating in the Atocha Massacre on January 24th in which five people are killed by the neo-fascist AAA.

February 10th

The Partido Socialista Obrero Español ('Spanish Socialist Workers' Party', PSOE) is legalised.

March 30th

Trade unions are legalised and the right to strike is recognised.

April 9th

The Partido Comunista Español ('Spanish Communist Party', PCE) is legalised. Franco's Movimiento Nacional is abolished.

May 3rd

Suárez negotiates a party political position from which to fight the forthcoming general elections, as leader of the newly-formed Unión de Centro Democrático ('Union of the Democratic Centre', UCD), a loose alliance of centrist political factions.

May 14th

Don Juan de Borbón renounces his claim to the Spanish throne in favour of his son in a ceremony at the Palacio de la Zarzuela.

June 15th

The first general election since Franco's death is held. The UCD wins a relative majority in the Congreso de los Diputados ('Congress of Deputies') with 166 seats out of 350, and an absolute majority in the Senado ('Senate'), with 106 of the 208 directly elected seats; Suárez becomes democratically-elected Prime Minister. In Congress, the PSOE, led by Felipe González, wins 121 seats, Fraga's AP wins 16 seats and the PCE has 19. In the Senate, the PSOE takes 48 elected seats and the AP 2.

July 28th

Spain requests membership of the EEC.

August 1st

A committee of seven 'wise men', representing a spectrum of political opinion, is selected to draft the new Constitution. The members are Gabriel Cisneros, José Pedro Pérez Llorca, Miguel Herrero y Rodriguez de Miñon, Miquel Roca, Manuel Fraga, Gregorio Peces Barba and Jordi Solé Tura.

September 29th

Pre-autonomous government is set up in Catalonia following mass demonstrations in Barcelona, and a provisional Generalitat is restored. Exiled Catalan President Josep Tarradellas returns to take initial charge.

October 25th

Leaders of the main parties sign the Pactos of La Moncloa, a set of agreements on the new government's legislative programme.

December

The Censorship Bureau is disbanded.

December 4th

Popular demonstrations in Andalusia, with over 1.5 million people taking to the streets to call for a quicker devolution of power to the regions of Spain not considered to be 'historic nationalities'.

December 29th

Pre-autonomous government is set up in the Basque Country.

1978

During the course of the year pre-autonomous status is given to other future Comunidades Autonómicas ('Autonomous Communities'): Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Castille & La Mancha, Castille & León, Extremadura, Galicia and Murcia.

February

Negotiations begin for Spain's entry to the EEC.

March

Negotiations begin for Spain's entry to NATO.

April 27th

The left-wing Basque nationalist political parties Acción Nacionalista Vasca ('Basque Nationalist Action') and Euskal Sozialista Biltzarrea ('Basque Socialist Assembly') combine with other groups to form an electoral coalition Herri Batasuna ('Unity of the People', HB), which will come to be identified as the political wing of ETA.

September 19th

The right-wing Catalan nationalist political parties Convergència Democrática de Catalunya ('Catalan Democratic Convergence') and Unió Democrática de Catalunya ('Catalan Democratic Union') form an electoral coalition, Convergència i Unió ('Convergence and Union', CiU).

October 31st

The new Constitution is approved by the Cortes. One of the most liberal in Europe, it defines Spain as a parliamentary monarchy, forbids an official religion, outlaws the death penalty, fixes the voting age at 18, and begins the process of regional devolution.

November 16th

An abortive military plot against the new democracy, Operación Galaxia ('Operation Galaxy'), is exposed in Madrid. Two officers, Lieutenant Colonel Antonio Tejero and Captain Ricardo Sáenz de Ynestrillas are arrested, and later sentenced to brief jail sentences.

December 6th

The Constitution is approved in a referendum by 88.54% to 7.89%, with a turnout of 67.11% of the electorate. The Dí­a de la Constitución ('Constitution Day') has since been a national holiday.

Ramón, from Pueblo, 21st November 1978

1979

January

Homosexuality is decriminalised.

January 3rd

Agreement is reached with the Vatican on revisions to the Concordat of 1953 between Spain and the Catholic Church, paving the way for the separation of Church and state required by the new Constitution.

Various conservative political parties, including Fraga's AP, join forces to form the Coalición Democrática ('Democratic Coalition', CD) to fight the forthcoming election.

March

The Ministerio de Administración Territorial ('Ministry of Territorial Administration') is set up to oversee the transfer of power to the devolved regions.

March 1st

The general election produces a rerun of the 1977 result. In Congress, the UCD win 168 seats, the PSOE 121, the PCE 23 and the CD 10. In the Senate, the UCD has 119 seats, the PSOE 68 and the CD 3.

April 3rd

The first local elections since Franco's death are held; the UCD has 29,614 councillors, the PSOE has 12,220 and the PCE has 3,608. The left-wing parties are able to take control of several prominent municipal councils.

May

A crisis in the PSOE is precipitated by the refusal of delegates at its party conference to formally renounce Marxism. As a result, Felipe González stands down as leader.

September 28th

At an extraordinary congress of the PSOE, Felipe González regains the leadership.

October 25th

Referendums are held in Catalonia and the Basque Country on their newly-drafted Statutes of Autonomy. The Statute of Sau, devolving power to regional government in Catalonia, is endorsed by 88.15% to 7.76%. The Statute of Gernika, devolving power to the Basque Country, is endorsed by 94.6% to 5.4%. Both Statutes come into effect in December after approval by the Cortes.

1980

Ideological gaps begin to open within the UCD, particularly between its Christian Democratic and Social Democratic factions over the proposed legalisation of divorce.

February 28th

A referendum in Andalusia endorses the Statute of Carmona, its regional Statute of Autonomy, by 94.2% to 5.8%; the Statute comes into effect the following year. The anniversary of the referendum is now commemorated as the Día de Andalucía ('Andalusia Day').

March 9th

Regional elections are held in the Basque Country. There is a strong showing by the nationalist parties, particularly the Partido Nacionalista Vasco ('Basque Nationalist Party', PNV), who take 25 of the 60 seats in the new devolved parliament. Herri Batasuna has 11, the PSE-PSOE (the PSOE local affiliate) has 9 and the left-wing coalition Euskadiko Ezkerra ('Basque Country Left', EE) has 6. The PNV's Carlos Garaikoetxea becomes the first Lehendakari ('Prime Minister') of the new region.

March 20th

Regional elections are held in Catalonia. CiU wins 43 seats, the PSOE-affiliated Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya ('Catalan Socialists' Party', PSC) wins 33, the Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya ('Catalan Unified Socialist Party', PSUC) wins 25, the UCD-affiliated Centristes de Catalunya ('Catalan Centrists', CDC) win 18, the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ('Catalan Republican Left', ERC) win 14 and the Partido Socialista de Andalucía ('Andalusian Socialist Party', PSA) wins 2. CiU's Jordi Pujol is elected President of the Generalitat.

September 18th

Tensions in the UCD boil over: Suárez is seen to side with the Social Democrats in the internal disputes, and the Christian Democrats mount a revolt against his leadership. He survives a vote of no confidence in the Cortes.

December 21st

A referendum is held on the controversial Statute of Autonomy for Galicia, which is opposed by nationalists who consider it limited by comparison to pre-Franquist arrangements. The Statute is endorsed by 73.35% to 19.77%, though on a turnout of only 29%.

1981

January 29th

Suárez resigns, both from the premiership and the leadership of the UCD; Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún succeeds him in the latter capacity. The King awards Suárez a dukedom in recognition of his services to democracy.

February 23rd

A coup d'etat is attempted by disaffected elements of the Army. Antonio Tejero (under the orders of two more senior officers, Lieutenant-General Jaime Miláns del Bosch and Major-General Alfonso Armada) marches into Congress and holds the deputies hostage while Miláns del Bosch's Motorized Division occupies the streets of Valencia. The coup is foiled by the King, who contacts other army officers to assure them that the coup did not have his support, as had been claimed by the conspirators.

February 25th

The UCD's Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo is sworn in as Suárez's replacement as Prime Minister, his elevation having been interrupted by the coup.

May 19th

Discriminatory articles of the Civil Code are replaced.

June 5th

The government and major unions sign the Acuerdo Nacional de Empleo ('National Employment Agreement', ANE), an agreement on wage levels and employment law.

June 24th

The Catalan terrorist group Terra Lliure ('Free Land', TLL), which had been formed in 1978 but remained very low-key, publish their manifesto Criada de Terra Lliure.

September 5th

Enrique Cerdán Calixto, leader of the Maoist terrorists GRAPO, dies in a shootout with police in Barcelona.

October 20th

Regional elections in Galicia are narrowly won by the AP, who form a minority government with support from the UCD. Xerardo Fernández of the Partido Popular de Galicia ('Galician Peoples' Party', PPdeG), the AP's local affiliate, becomes the first President of the region.

Gradually the UCD begins to collapse into warring factions; MPs begin to leave and join other rival parties. Rodríguez Sahagún resigns the party Presidency on November 13th, and is replaced in the interim by Calvo-Sotelo and then by Landelino Lavilla.

December 10th

Spain formally applies to join NATO, despite a 600,000-signature petition against the application organised by the PSOE.

1982

May 23rd

Regional elections in Andalusia are won by the PSOE. Rafael Escuredo becomes the first President of the newly-devolved region.

May 30th

Spain joins NATO.

June 3rd

The leaders of the 1981 coup are handed lengthy prison sentences.

June 20th

The Ley Orgánica de Armonización del Proceso Autonómico ('Organic Law on the Harmonisation of the Autonomy Process', LOAPA), a controversial act regulating (and slowing down) the devolution of power to the regions, is approved.

July 28th

Suárez, along with Rodríguez Sahagún and several fellow MPs, leave the UCD to found a new party, the Centro Democrático y Social ('Democratic and Social Centre', CDS). Their departure leaves the UCD with less MPs than the rival left-wing bloc headed by the PSOE, leaving Calvo-Sotelo little choice but to call a fresh election.

October 28th

The general election is won overwhelmingly by the PSOE, which wins an absolute majority in both houses of the Cortes, while the AP profits from the UCD's implosion to become the main opposition party. In Congress, the PSOE have 202 seats, the AP has 107, the UCD 11, the PCE 4 and Suárez's CDS 2. In the Senate, the PSOE has 134 seats, the AP has 54 and the UCD has 4.

December 1st

Felipe González, leader of the PSOE, is confirmed as the new Prime Minister.

December 14th

The disputed border with Gibraltar is partially reopened, having been closed for thirteen years.

1983

February 18th

Following its collapse in the previous year's elections, the UCD is formally dissolved.

February 23rd

The government nationalises the vast banking concern Rumasa, ostensibly because of its imminent bankruptcy. The controversial nationalisation sets a long legal battle in motion and gives rise to endless conspiracy theories; the group's constituent companies are broken up and reprivatised.

May 8th

Echoing the previous year's general election landslide, the PSOE perform well in the local elections, gaining absolute control of 26 major municipal councils with 21292 councellors to the AP's 16,307.

Regional Elections in thirteen Autonomous Communities bring similar results, with PSOE victories in all but Cantabria and the Balearic Islands.

May 18th

100,000 people demonstrate in Madrid, calling for a nationwide referendum on Spain's membership of NATO.

June

The government announces extensive plans for restructuring of industry, including a massive program of privatisation of state-owned companies.

August 9th

14 of the 38 articles of the LOAPA are declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court. The Law is redrafted as the Ley del Proceso Autonómico ('Law on the Autonomy Process', LPA) and its amended form is approved by the Cortes on October 8th.

December 20th

The Ley Orgánica de Derecho a la Educación ('Organic Law on the Right to Education', LODE), a controversial law reforming the education system, is passed by the Cortes.

1984

February 26th

Regional elections in the Basque Country are won by the PNV, who take 32 of the 75 seats in the newly-expanded regional parliament. The PSE-PSOE have 19 seats, HB have 11, the AP and its allies have 7.

March 26th

A series of reforms of the legal system and security services begins.

April 29th

Regional elections in Catalonia are won by CiU with an absolute majority of 72 seats, compared to 41 for the PSC-PSOE, 11 for the Catalan wing of the AP and its allies, 6 for the PSUC and 5 for the ERC.

July 10th

The Constitutional Court rules that it is not a crime for Spanish women to go abroad to receive abortions.

October 4th

The Acuerdo Económico y Social (‘Economic and Social Agreement’, AES), an national agreement on wage levels, is signed by the government and two unions, the Unión General de Trabajadores ('Workers' General Union', UGT) and the Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales ('Spanish Confederation of Employers' Organisations', CEOE). However, the communist trade union Comisiones Obreras ('Workers' Commissions', CCOO) refuses to sign.

November 20th

Santiago Brouard, one of the leaders of Herri Batasuna, is assassinated.

December 15th

In a reversal of policy, and against the run of public opinion, the PSOE's party conference approves continued Spanish membership of NATO.

1985

January 14th

In ratifying the European Convention on Human Rights, the death penalty is abolished.

January 26th

After disagreements over policy, Carlos Garaikoetxea is replaced as leader of the PNV and Lehendakari by José Antonio Ardanza.

February 4th

The border with Gibraltar is fully opened after an agreement with the United Kingdom.

June 12th

Spain signs its treaty of accession to the EEC.

June 20th

A general strike is called by the UGT in protest at the government's ongoing reforms of the social security system.

July 5th

Abortion is legalised under limited circumstances.

November 10th

Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards join mass demonstrations across the country against continued NATO membership.

Regional elections in Galicia. The CP increase their number of seats, but fall just short of an absolute majority, continuing in power as a minority government.

1986

Unemployment peaks at 22%.

January 1st

Spain (finally) becomes a member of the EEC.

March 12th

The much-demanded national referendum on the NATO issue endorses continued membership by 52.5% to 39.8%, though there are prominent 'no' victories in Catalonia and the Basque Country.

April 29th

Left-wing opposition parties including the PCE form a new electoral coalition, Izquierda Unida ('United Left', IU).

June 22nd

General election. The PSOE maintains its absolute majority, winning 184 seats in Congress. The Coalición Popular ('Peoples' Coalition, CP), made up of the AP and its allies on the right, has 105 seats, the CDS has 19 and IU has 7. In the Senate, the PSOE has 124 elected seats to the CP's 63.

October 18th

The IOC selects Barcelona as the host of the 1992 Olympic Games.

November 30th

After a fundamental schism in the PNV, Carlos Garaikoetxea and many fellows leave to create a new party, Eusko Alkartasuna ('Basque Solidarity', EA). As a result, Regional elections in the Basque Country are called early. The division of the PNV's support contributes to a narrow victory by the PSE-PSOE, with 19 seats to the PNV's 17. HB has 13 seats, EA has 9. A PNV/PSE-PSOE coalition is eventually agreed after several months of negotiations.

December 1st

Fraga resigns the leadership of the AP following the party's failure in the Basque elections.

December 16th

The Constitutional Court brings the three-year legal fallout of the Rumasa affair to a close, declaring its nationalisation constitutional.

1987

February 7th

Antonio Hernández Mancha is elected as the new leader of the AP.

February 23rd

A group of left-wing Catalan political parties, including the PSUC, form an electoral coalition, Iniciativa per Catalunya ('Initiative for Catalonia', IC).

June 10th

The local, regional and European elections prove a mixed bag for the PSOE. In the local elections, the party wins 23,241 councillors to the AP's 16,312 and the CDS's 5,952, but loses its absolute majority on all major city councils. In the regional elections, the PSOE retains control of ten of the thirteen Autonomous Communities contested, but loses Castille & León to the AP. In Spain's first deputation to the European Parliament the PSOE take 28 seats, the AP have 17, the CDS have 7, IU and CiU each have 3, and HB have 1.

August 22nd

The Guardia Civil agrees to admit women.

September 26th

After a number of CPMPs in the Galician Parliament defect to form a rival party, left-wing and nationalist parties combine to elect the PSdeG-PSOE's Fernando González Laxe as President, heading a new centre-left administration.

September 30th

ETA leader Santi Potros is arrested in France.

1988

January 12th

Basque political parties, with the exception of Herri Batasuna, sign the Pact of Ajuria Enea, condemning terrorism and aiming to work towards peace in the region.

February 19th

In response to a ceasefire, the government cautiously reopens negotiations with ETA. Talks last just six days before they are abandoned after ETA kidnap a prominent industrialist, Emiliano Revilla.

March 10th

Women are allowed to join the army and train in the military academies.

June 29th

Regional elections in Catalonia. CiU narrowly retain their absolute majority with 69 seats. The PSC-PSOE have 42, IC have 9, the AP and ERC each have 6.

October 18th

The beginnings of judicial proceedings against two police officers, José Amedo and Michel Domínguez, accused of involvement in the assassinations of ETA personnel and sympathisers, bring the scandal of the Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación ('Antiterrorist Liberation Groups', GAL) into the public eye. Investigation would eventually reveal the government-sponsored GAL death squads to be responsible for 27 murders between 1983 and 1987, including that of Santiago Brouard.

December 14th

A massive general strike is held by the trade unions in protest at the government's economic policies. Negotiations resulting from the strike gradually brought improvements in the Spanish welfare system.

1989

January 3rd

Hernández Mancha resigns the leadership of the AP.

January 20th

At its congress in Madrid, the AP reinvents itself as the Partido Popular ('Peoples' Party', PP) and elects Manuel Fraga its interim president.

January 22nd

ETA calls a two-month truce as negotiations resume with the government. The talks are abandoned in April, and violence resumes.

February 28th

The High Court orders an investigation into the Interior Ministry's black budget funding of the GAL.

April 10th

The UGT announces that, for the first time in its history, it will not be supporting the PSOE in the following month's elections.

June 10th

European elections: both of the major parties lose seats to minority parties. The PSOE have 27 seats, the PP have 15, the CDS have 5, IU have 4 and CiU 2, with the remaining 7 seats split among other parties.

June 19th

Spain joins the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.

August 6th

The CDS breaks off relations with the PP, allowing the PSOE to take minority control over many municipal councils.

September 4th

José María Aznar takes over as leader of the PP.

October 29th

General elections are held, though the result takes almost five months to decide due to allegations of irregularity. The PSOE wins with 175 seats, the PP wins 107 seats, CiU wins 18 seats, IU wins 17 seats and the CDS wins 14. In the Senate, the PSOE has 107 seats, the PP has 78, CiU has 10 and the CDS and IU have 1 apiece.

December 17th

Regional elections in Galicia are comfortably won by the PPdeG-PP, with 38 seats to the PSdeG-PSOE's 28, giving it an absolute majority by 1 seat.

1990

January 30th

Manuel Fraga is elected President of the Xunta de Galicia following his party's victory in the previous month's elections.

February 1st

A corruption scandal hits the PSOE: Alfonso Guerra, the Deputy Prime Minister, is questioned by Parliament after it is revealed that his brother Juan had occupied a government office in Seville for years, though he held no public position.

April 4th

Two ETA leaders, Frederic Haramboure and Jacques Esnal, are arrested in France.

April 9th

Rosendo Naseiro, the Treasurer of the PP, is arrested on charges of fraud in a financial scandal that later implicates other party figures, further shaking public trust in politics.

June 23rd

Regional elections in Andalusia. The PSOE retains its absolute majority, with 61 seats to the PP's 27.

October 23rd

The Ley Orgánica de Ordenación General del Sistema Educativo ('Organic Law on the General Structuring of the Education System', LOGSE) which, amongst other reforms, extends the basic school leaving age to sixteen, is approved by the Cortes.

October 28th

Regional elections in the Basque Country. An inconclusive result sees the PNV take 22 seats, the PSE-PSOE 16, HB 13 and EA 9. Unidad Alavesa ('Alavan Unity', UA), a new party created shortly before the elections after a split in the PP, performs surprisingly well, taking 3 seats in its first election.

1991

January 12th

Alfonso Guerra finally resigns over the Juan Guerra corruption affair.

January 22nd

Months of horsetrading in the Basque parliament finally produce an uneasy three-way coalition government made up of the PNV, EA and EE. The PNV's José Antonio Ardanza continues as Lehendakari.

May 29th

Another corruption scandal hits the PSOE as it is alleged to have used a series of front companies (Filesa, Malesa and Time-Export) to fraudulently fund its 1989 electoral campaign.

May 29th

Local elections. In the wake of the numerous Socialist corruption scandals the PP do well, returning 19,268 councillors to the PSOE's 25,260 and seizing control of several major cities. The CDS perform disastrously, with their tally of 2,939 representing a loss of over half their councillors. Adolfo Suárez resigns as leader of the party.

July 6th

TLL's assembly announces that the organisation is renouncing violence.

July 19th

The period of compulsory military service is reduced to nine months

September 16th

EA are expelled from the governing coalition in the Basque country after a series of policy disagreements; the PSE-PSOE join the government in their place.

September 20th

José Amedo and Michel Domínguez are each sentenced to over 100 years in prison for their role in the GAL affair. Investigations continue into the involvement of government ministers.

1992

A big year for Spain on the international stage: Madrid is the EC Capital of Culture; the World Exposition 'Expo '92' opens in Seville; and Barcelona hosts the 1992 Olympic Games.

March 15th

Regional elections in Catalonia see CiU consolidate its absolute majority with 70 seats. The PSC-PSOE has 40, the PP has 11 and IC and the ERC each have 7.

March 29th

French police arrest 24 members of ETA's leadership in Biarritz, including the three key figures of military leader Francisco Mujika Garmendia, political leader José Luis Álvarez Santacristina and logistical leader José María Arregi Erostarbe.

April 21st

The new AVE high speed train begins service between Madrid and Seville.

August 27th

The Constitution is amended, for the first time since 1978, to bring it into line with the requirements of the Maastricht Treaty.

September 10th

Hispasat 1A, the first Spanish communications satellite, is launched from the ESA's spaceport in French Guiana.

December 3rd

The oil tanker Aegean Sea suffers a catastrophic accident off A Coruña, spilling more than 70,000 tons of oil into the ocean and provoking an environmental disaster on the Galician coast.

1993

March 20th

An independent report into the Filesa affair is published, upholding all major charges against the PSOE officials. González responds by calling a snap election.

March 27th

The Basque political party EE merges with the Basque branch of the PSOE. A splinter group opposed to the merger form a short-lived alternative party, Euskal Ezkerra (EuE), which itself merges with EA shortly afterwards.

June 6th

General election. In Congress, the PSOE wins 159 seats, the PP wins 141 seats, the IU wins 18 seats and CiU wins 17. In the Senate, the PSOE has 96 elected seats, the PP has 93 and CiU has 10. Losing its absolute majority in Congress, the PSOE is forced into coalition with the Basque and Catalan nationalists in order to govern.

December 3rd

Luis Roldán, Director of the Guardia Civil, is sacked for corruption.

1994

January 27th

A general strike is called by the UGT and CCOO trades unions in protest at new labour regulations.

June 12th

The PP achieve a clear victory in the European elections with 28 seats to the PSOE's 22, and increase of 13 seats from their return in 1989. IU have 9 seats and CiU have 3.

October 23rd

Regional elections in the Basque Country. PSOE support drops significantly, in keeping with trends across the country, but the result is still inconclusive. The PNV has 22 seats, the PSOE has 12, HB and the PP each have 11. The Basque affiliate of IU, Ezker Batua-Berdeak ('United Left/Greens', EB-IU-B), contesting its first election, wins 6 seats.

October

High Court Judge Baltasar Garzón reopens investigations into the GAL affair, as the convicted ex-policemen José Amedo and Michel Domínguez begin to name other conspirators in the police and the PSOE. On December 16th, Felipe González is forced by ongoing speculation to publically deny having had any knowledge of the GAL. On December 19th, the former Socialist Governor of Vizcaya, Julián Sancristóbal, is arrested and imprisoned, along with senior police offers Francisco Álvarez and Miguel Planchuelo.

December 26th

After two months of laborious negotiations in the Basque parliament, the PNV, EA and PSOE agree a coalition government. José Antonio Ardanza continues as Lehendakari.

1995

Iniciativa per Catalunya combines with the Catalan environmentalist party Els Verds to form an electoral coalition Iniciativa per Catalunya-Els Verds ('Initiative for Catalonia/Greens', IC-V).

January

The Banco de España is given autonomous responsibility for the country's fiscal policy.

February 17th

Ricardo García Damborenea, former Secretary-General of the PSE-PSOE in Vizcaya, is arrested and imprisoned in the ongoing inquiry into the GAL affair.

March 5th

The peseta is devalued in order to keep it in the ERM.

March 13th

The exclave cities of Ceuta and Melilla are given Statutes of Autonomy.

April 19th

ETA fails in an attempt to kill José María Aznar with a car bomb.

May 28th

Local and regional elections are a success for the PP. In the local elections, their tally of 24,772 councillors to the PSOE's 21,189 gives them control of all but three major municipal councils. In the regional elections, the PP take control of 11 of the 13 contested Autonomous Communities.

June 14th

The newspaper El Mundo accuses the secret service CESID (Centro Superior de Información de la Defensa, 'Superior Centre for Defence Information') of illegal telephone tapping of public figures, including the King. The ensuing scandal claims the jobs of CESID boss Emilio Alonso Manglano, the Vice President Narcís Serra and the Defence Minister Julián García Vargas.

July 1st

Spain assumes the rotating presidency of the EU.

November 11th

In regional elections in Catalonia, CiU loses its absolute majority for the first time since 1984, but win enough seats to continue in power as a minority government. CiU has 60 seats, the PSC-PSOE has 34, the PP has 17, ERC has 13 and IC-V has 11.

1996

January 24th

Judicial proceedings begin against former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo and former Secretary of State for Security Rafael Vera for their involvement with the GAL.

March 3rd

The general election is won by the PP, but neither of the main parties wins a clear majority in Congress. In Congress, the PP has 156 seats, the PSOE wins 141, IU wins 19 and CiU wins 16. In the Senate, the PP has 112 seats, the PSOE has 81 and CiU has 8.

May 4th

After months of negotiation for support with minority Basque and Catalan nationalist parties, the PP's José María Aznar is finally sworn in as the new Prime Minister.

The new government immediately announces a huge cutback in government spending, and soon afterwards freezes the salaries of public sector workers.

1997

January 21st

The government announce changes to the Criminal Code making Defence of Terrorism a crime.

June 22nd

Felipe González having declined to stand as a candidate for leader of the PSOE, he is replaced at its Party Conference by Joaquín Almunia.

July 1st

José Antonio Ortega Lara is released by the Guardia Civil, having been imprisoned by ETA for 532 days.

July 10th

ETA kidnaps a PP councillor, Miguel Angel Blanco, and murders him two days later after the government refuses to transfer captive Etarras to jails in the Basque country. The killing sparks massive anti-terrorist demonstrations across the country.

October

The Guggenheim Museum opens in Bilbao.

December

23 leaders of Herri Batasuna are convicted of collaborating with ETA and jailed for seven years.

1998

January 12th

After the failure of an extended court battle for the right to die, quadraplegic Ramón Sampedro involves 11 people in his assisted suicide such that no individual does enough to make them liable to prosecution. A video of his suicide is delivered to the TV channel Antena 3, who broadcast it. The event sparks national controversy and debate.

February 26th

Luis Roldán, former Director of the Guardia Civil under the PSOE, is sentenced to 28 years in prison for fraud.

April

Lehendakari Ardanza announces that he will stand down as leader of the PNV before the forthcoming elections. His deputy Juan José Ibarretxe will become the new party leader.

June 30th

The three-way coalition government in the Basque Country breaks down as the PNV and EA vote against PSE-PSOE proposals.

July 14th

Egin, a newspaper and radio station long associated with ETA, is shut down on the orders of Judge Baltasar Garzón.

July 29th

Barrionuevo, Vera and Sancristobál are sentenced by the Supreme Court to ten years in prison for their part in the GAL dirty war against ETA.

September 3rd

As part of a plan to arrest its decline in support because of its links to ETA, Herri Batasuna changes its name to Euskal Herritarrok ('Basque Citizens', EH).

September 12th

Basque nationalist parties including the PNV, EA and EH sign the Pact of Estella, an agreement to work together for the sovereignty of the Basque Country and an end to terrorism.

September 16th

Responding to the Pact of Estella, ETA announce a 'unilateral, total and indefinite' ceasefire.

October 16th

Spain seeks the extradition from England of former Chilean Dictator Augusto Pinochet for the murder of Spanish citizens during his dictatorship.

October 25th

Regional elections in the Basque Country. In the wake of ETA's ceasefire, EH polls its best ever result, taking 14 seats compared to 21 for the PNV, 16 for the PP and 14 for the PSE-PSOE. The close result sparks months of negotiations before a coalition of the PNV, EA and EH can be agreed – the first Basque government to rely on the support of ETA's political wing – and Ibarretxe is confirmed as the new Lehendakari.

December 29th

Barrionuevo, Vera and the other convicted politicians from the GAL affair are released from prison, pardoned by the government just 105 days into their sentences.

1999

March 9th

ETA leader José Javier Arizkuren is arrested in France.

June 13th

Local, regional and European elections are won by the PP, but the PSOE improve their performance. In the local elections the PP gains 24,623 councillors to the PSOE's 21,917; CiU have 4,089 and IU 2,295. The PP win in four of the eight contested autonomous communities and the PSOE in three, while the nationalist Coalición Canaria ('Canarian Coalition', CC) win in the Canary Islands. In Europe, the PP have 27 seats, the PSOE have 24, IU have 4 and CiU have 3, with the remaining 6 seats spread among other parties, including EH.

August 26th

ETA breaks off negotiations with the government after José María Aznar accuses them of being 'scared of peace'.

October 17th

Regional elections in Catalonia. Buoyed by the leadership of the well-known former Mayor of Barcelona, Pasqual Maragall, the PSC-PSOE poll more votes than CiU but win slightly less seats, 52 to 56. The PP and ERC each have 12, and IC-V have 3. Pujol retains the Presidency of the Generalitat thanks to support from the PP.

November 28th

ETA announces the end of its ceasefire.

December 22nd

A new version of the Ley de Extranjería, seeking to end restrictive practices towards immigration and to introduce basic rights for immigrants, is approved by the Cortes despite the governing PP withdrawing its support, saying the law provides too many rights to illegal immigrants. The party announces its intention to reform the law if it wins the March elections.

2000

January 21st

ETA detonates a car bomb in Madrid, signalling the return of its campaign of violence.

Idígoras & Pachi, from El Mundo, 22nd January 2000

March 2nd

Britain finally decides not to extradite General Pinochet to any of the requesting countries, and he returns to Chile.

March 12th

The general election brings absolute majorities for the PP in both houses of Parliament. In Congress, they win 183 seats, the PSOE wins 125, CiU wins 15 and IU wins 8. In the Senate, the PP has 127 seats, the PSOE has 61 and CiU has 8.

March 13th

Joaquín Almunia resigns as leader of the PSOE in the aftermath of the party's disappointing performance in the elections.

April 26th

Former Governer of Guipúzcoa Julen Elgorriaga and Guardia Civil General Enrique Rodríguez Galindo are sentenced to 71 and 69 years in prison respectively for their involvement in the GAL affair.

July 22nd

The PSOE's conference elects José Luis Zapatero to the party leadership.

September 9th

EH's members withdraw from the Basque parliament after conflict with other parties in the coalition government, leaving the PNV/EA coalition as a minority government.

September 15th

Ignacio Gracia Arregui, believed to be ETA's principal leader, is arrested in Biarritz.

November 9th

The leadership of the GRAPO is arrested in Paris.

December 14th

The government's controversial 'counter-reform' of the Ley de Extranjería is approved by the Cortes, reintroducing expulsion for illegal immigrants and eliminating some of the rights established by the earlier version.

2001

January 12th

Artur Mas is appointed Conseller en cap ('First Minister') of the Generalitat by Jordi Pujol.

May 13th

Regional elections in the Basque Country. The PNV, standing in coalition with EA, wins with 33 seats compared to the PP's 19, the PSOE's 13, EH's 7 and IU's 3. Short of an absolute majority, the PNV/EA eventually form a minority government in coalition with EB.

June 23rd

ETA's political wing Euskal Herritarrok changes its name again, to Batasuna ('Unity').

October 21st

Regional elections in Galicia return Manuel Fraga's PPdeG-PP with an absolute majority for the fourth consecutive time.

Gallego & Rey, from El Mundo, 22nd October 2001

October 31st

The PP uses its absolute majority in parliament to push through the controversial Ley Orgánica de Universidades ('Organic Law on Universities'), introducing far-reaching reforms of higher education.

November 7th

Some 90% of university lecturers, researchers and administrative staff strike in opposition to the new university reforms.

December 19th

Basque solidarity organisation Gestoras pro amnistía ('Groups for Amnesty') is declared illegal by Judge Baltasar Garzón because of links to ETA.

December 31st

Military service is suspended indefinitely.

2002

January 1st

The single European currency, the Euro, replaces the peseta. On the same day, Spain once again assumes the rotating presidency of the EU.

February 5th

Baltasar Garzón declares the Basque nationalist organisations Segi and Askatasuna illegal because of links to ETA.

April 19th

The Cortes approve the international Kyoto Protocol on climate change.

May 14th

Police arrest Imanol Miner Villanueva and Mikel San Argimiro, ETA's operatives in Madrid.

June 20th

A general strike is called by the trade unions in protest at the government's reforms of the social security system.

June 25th

Parliament approves the Ley Orgánica de Partidos Políticos ('Organic Law on Political Parties'), which allows the illegalisation of political organisations supporting terrorism.

July 11th

Moroccan soldiers occupy Perejil, a tiny, deserted Spanish island north of Ceuta. After a diplomatic protests by Spain, the soldiers are replaced by navy cadets, who begin to build a base. On July 17th, the Spanish army storms the island and repatriates the Moroccan cadets.

August 26th

Batasuna is suspended for three years under the new legislation governing political parties because of its links with ETA. Its deputies in the Basque Parliament take the new name Sozialista Abertzaleak ('Socialist Patriots').

September 16th

ETA leaders Juan Antonio Olarra Guribi and Ainhoa Mugica are arrested in France.

November 19th

The oil tanker Prestige sinks off the Galician coast, spilling some 70,000 tons of fuel oil into the sea and causing an environmental disaster. The costs of clearing up the spill have since been estimated at €2.5 billion.

2003

February

José María Aznar pledges support for the US/UK-led war in Iraq, but refuses to send combat troops to the gulf. His support for action in Iraq meets public hostility at home, including a demonstration on February 15th involving hundreds of millions of people across the country.

February 20th

Basque newspaper Egunkaria is shut down by the High Court because of alleged links to ETA.

March 17th

Batasuna is conclusively declared illegal by the Supreme Court.

May 21st

The Supreme Court orders the dissolution of Sozialista Abertzaleak, Batasuna's successor, but the Basque Parliament refuses to comply.

May 25th

Local and regional elections. In the local elections, the PSOE poll over 100,000 more votes than the PP – beating their rivals for the first time since losing power in 1996 – but gain less councillors, 23,224 to the PP's 23,615. In the regional elections, the PP take 8 of the contested autonomous communities to the PSOE's 4, with and the Unión del Pueblo Navarro ('Union of the Navarrese People', UPN) winning in their respective regions.

September 1st

The governing council of the PP confirms Mariano Rajoy, the Deputy Prime Minister and José María Aznar's preferred candidate, as its new leader.

Jaume Collell, from La Vanguardia, 15th February 2004

October 25th

Lehendakari Ibarretxe formally presents a controversial proposal, christened the Ibarretxe Plan, for converting the Basque Country into a 'free associate' of Spain with extended autonomous powers.

November 6th

Crown Prince Felipe is formally engaged to the journalist Letizia Ortiz in a ceremony at the Zarzuela palace.

November 16th

Regional elections in Catalonia fail to hand a decisive victory to any one party. CiU, under the leadership of Jordi Pujol's new successor Artur Mas, has its vote cut to 46 seats and the PSC-PSOE is close behind with 42. The ERC almost double their seats to 23, the PP have 15 seats and ICV have 9.

December 4th

ETA leader Ibon Fernández de Iradi is arrested in France.

December 14th

After weeks of negotiations, a PSC-PSOE/ERC/ICV coalition government is formally agreed in Catalonia with the signing of the Pact of Tinell. PSC-PSOE leader Pasqual Maragall becomes the new President of the Generalitat and the ERC's Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira becomes First Minister.

2004

January 27th

Carod is forced to resign his post as Catalonia's First Minister after admitting having secret talks with ETA leaders in France; a week later he resigns from the regional government entirely.

February 18th

ETA call a ceasefire in Catalonia, aiming to "unite ties between the Basque and Catalan people on the basis of respect, noninterference and solidarity".

March 11th

Madrid is hit by Europe's worst-ever terrorist atrocity as a series of explosions at the three Madrid stations of Atocha, El Pozo and Santa Eugenia during the morning rush hour leave 191 dead and more than 1400 injured, many seriously. The government is quick to blame ETA, but doubts emerge quickly and on March 14th responsibility is claimed by the fundamentalist Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

March 12th

Over 11 million Spaniards take to the streets in peace rallies and demonstrations against terrorist violence. More than 2 million people gather in Madrid's Plaza de Cibeles to observe a period of silence.

March 14th

General election. Surprising many commentators, in the aftermath of the terrorist attack the PSOE win by a comfortable margin, although they fall short of an absolute majority: it is the first time since democratisation that a governing party with an absolute majority in Congress has lost an election.

Ferreres, from El Periódico, 15th March 2004

In Congress, the PSOE have 164 seats, the PP have 148. CiU drop 5 seats to 10 and the ERC gain 7 seats, with 8. In the Senate, the PP remain the principal party but with a greatly slashed majority: they have 102 seats to the PSOE's 81.

April 1st

The PSOE strikes a deal with all parliamentary political parties except the PP, giving it control of both houses of parliament. The Acuerdo por el Pluralismo Político de los Órganos Constitucionales del Congreso y el Senado ('Agreement for Political Pluralism in the Institutional Entities of Congress and Senate') guarantees the minority parties representation in congressional and senatorial committees in return for their cooperation. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is to become the new Prime Minister.

April 27th

Spanish troops begin to return home from Iraq, in line with the PSOE's campaign promise.

May 22nd

Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz are married at Madrid's Almudena cathedral.

June 13th

European elections. Reflecting the result of the recent general election, the PSOE win narrowly with 25 seats to the PP's 24.

October 3rd

Two of the most senior members of ETA, Mikel Albizu and María Soledad Iparraguirre, are arrested in France.

December 30th

The Ibarretxe Plan is narrowly approved by the Basque regional parliament by 39 votes to 35, after a last-minute switch from abstention to qualified support by Sozialista Abertzaleak.

2005

February 1st

The Ibarretxe plan is presented to Congress and overwhelmingly blocked, by 313 votes to 29. In response, Lehendakari Ibarretxe brings forward regional elections in the Basque country.

February 7th

A controversial amnesty allowing illegal immigrants to obtain work permits providing they can produce proof of employment comes into force. Some 700,000 immigrants become legal during the three-month amnesty.

February 20th

Spain becomes the first European country to ratify the new EU Constitution, voting in favour in a referendum by 76.73% to 17.24%. Turnout, however, is low at only 42%.

March 17th

The last statue of Francisco Franco remaining in Madrid is removed.

April 17th

Regional elections in the Basque Country see the PNV-EA coalition (29 seats) lose ground to the PSE-PSOE (18 seats). A controversial new communist nationalist party, Euskal Herrialdeetako Alderdi Komunista ('Communist Party of the Basque Homelands', EHAK) gains 9 seats after adopting the programme of the banned party Batasuna.

June 19th

Regional elections in Galicia are won by the PPdeG-PP with 37 seats, but they lose their absolute majority and are replaced as the autonomous government by an alliance between the PSdeG-PSOE and the Bloque Nacionalista Galego ('Galician Nationalist Bloc', BNG). The PSdeG-PSOE's Emilio Pérez Touriño replaces Manuel Fraga as President of the Xunta.

June 30th

Same-sex marriage and adoption by same-sex couples are legalised, though the PP go on to challenge the new law as unconstitutional.

September 30th

The Catalan parliament approves proposed reforms of its Statue of Autonomy by 120 votes to 19, with all parties but the PP voting in favour.

October 3rd

ETA leader Harriet Aguirre García is arrested in France.

October 31st

Infanta Leonor, the first child of Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia, is born, becoming second in line to the Spanish throne after her father.

November 2nd

The Cortes approve the text of the new Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia by 197 votes to 146.

November 12th

Secondary school pupils across the country protest against the government's proposed reforms of the education system.

2006

January 1st

A ban on smoking in some public places, including restaurants and bars, comes into force.

January 15th

Alberto Nuñez Feijoo succeeds Manuel Fraga as President of the PPdeG-PP.

March 4th

A new political party, Ciutadans - Partit de la Ciutadania ('C's', 'Citizens - Party of the Citizenry') is founded in Catalonia as an explicitly non-nationalist alternative to other regional parties.

March 9th

Batasuna and the trade union Langile Abertzaleen Batzordeak ('Nationalist Workers' Committees', LAB) hold a general strike in the Basque Country and Navarre in protests at the deaths of imprisoned ETA personnel.

March 22nd

ETA issues a communiqué announcing a 'permanent ceasefire' and the government gradually restarts peace negotiations.

El Roto, from El País, 24th March 2006

April 6th

The Cortes approve the controversial Ley Orgánica de Educación ('Organic Law on Education') by 181 votes to 133, introducing increased regulation of Religious Education and compulsory classes in Citizenship and Human Rights.

April 27th

Batasuna leader Arnaldo Otegi is convicted of glorifying terrorism and sentenced to fifteen months in prison.

May 11th

The ERC is expelled from the tripartite governing coalition of Catalonia because of its opposition to proposed reforms to the Statue of Autonomy. As a result, regional elections are brought forward to November.

June 18th

Catalonia approves its new Statute of Autonomy in a referendum by 73.24% to 20.57%, though turnout is low at just under 49%. The new Statute, which defines Catalonia as a nation within Spain, gives the Generalitat more control over taxation, the judiciary and immigration.

July 28th

The government presents controversial proposals for a new Ley de la Memoria Histórica ('Law on Historical Memory') that, for the first time, seeks to recognise and make reparations to victims of the Franco dictatorship.

November 1st

Regional elections in Catalonia bring another close result: CiU have 48 seats, the PSC-PSOE have 37, the ERC have 21, the PP have 14, ICV have 12 and new party C's gain 3. After negotiations, the PSC-PSOE, ERC and ICV agree to renew their tripartite coalition and José Montilla, Maragall's successor as leader of the PSC-PSOE, becomes the new President of the Generalitat.

December 30th

ETA break their ceasefire, killing two civilians with a car bomb at Madrid's Barajas Airport. Negotiation initiatives by the government are immediately cut off.

2007

February 18th

A new Statute granting more autonomy to Andalusia is ratified by 87.4% to 9.5% in a regional referendum, but the turnout of 36% is the lowest in any Spanish election since democratisation.

Guillermo, from El Mundo, 19th February 2007

March 2nd

ETA terrorist Iñaki de Juana Chaos is controversially released from prison after months of hunger strike, drawing criticism from the PP and a series of public demonstrations against his release.

March 15th

The Cortes pass new gender equality legislation. The Ley Orgánica para la Igualdad Efectiva de Mujeres y Hombres ('Organic Law for the Effective Equality of Men and Women', LOIE) bans sexual discrimination in the workplace, requires 40% of electoral candidates to be female and gives men 15 days paternity leave.

May 27th

Local and regional elections. In the local elections, the PP (35.6% of the vote) narrowly beat the PSOE (34.9%) thanks to particularly strong results in Madrid. In the regional elections, the PP win in eight of the thirteen contested autonomous communities, with the PSOE taking the remaining five.

June 5th

ETA issues a statement formally ending its ceasefire and promising to 'act on all fronts in defence of Euskal Herria'.

June 18th

Thousands of cinemas close for a night in protest at government proposals to impose a minimum quota of screenings of Spanish films.

October 5th

The leadership of Batasuna are arrested at a clandestine meeting, sparking protests by Basque nationalists.

October 31st

21 people are convicted of carrying out the 11-M terrorist attacks in 2004. 7 more, including the alleged ringleader Rabei Osman Sayed Ahmed, are acquitted.

October 31st

The Ley de la Memoría Histórica is passed by Congress despite fierce opposition from conservatives. The law recognises the victims of the Civil War and the Franquist regime, declares sentences passed by Franquist trials invalid, provides for state help in the tracing and identification of bodies in unmarked or mass graves, mandates the removal of Franquist symbols from public buildings and prohibits political events at the Valle de los Caidos ('Valley of the Fallen', Franco's burial place)

2008

February 14th

Controversy over the role of the Catholic Church in the Spanish state comes to a head when Prime Minister Zapatero meets Vatican representatives to demand that Spanish bishops stop publically campaigning on behalf of the PP.

March 7th

Isaías Carrasco, a PSE-PSOE politician, is shot dead by ETA two days before the general elections. Political campaiging is suspended in response.

March 9th

In the general elections, both the PSOE and the PP increase their seats at the expense of the smaller parties. In the Basque Country, public reaction against the nationalist parties, at least partly owing to the Carrasco murder, contributes to the first defeat for the PNV in a general election since democratisation. In Congress, the PSOE has 169 seats, the PP has 154, CiU has 10, the PNV has 6, the ERC has 3 and IU has 2. In the Senate, the PP take 101 of the elected seats, the PSOE has 88, the has 12, CiU has 4 and the PNV has 2. Zapatero retains the premiership thanks to abstentions from the minority parties, and the PSOE continues as a minority government.

May

Suffering its worst drought since records began in the 1950s, Spain is forced to import water supplies from abroad.

May 20th

Suspected ETA leader Francisco Javier López Peña is arrested in France.

June

Protests at fuel prices, driven high by the cost of oil, spread across the country with strikes and demonstrations by fishermen and farmers. On June 9th, hauliers begin an indefinite strike by blockading major roads, including the principal motorway route to France.

July 17th

The Supreme Court overturns the convictions of four of the accused 11-M bombers.

July 21st

The government put forward controversial plans to pay unemployed immigrants to return to their countries of origin.

Mingote, from ABC, 22nd July 2008

August 20th

154 people are killed when a plane crashes on takeoff at Barajas Airport.

September 18th

The Supreme Court outlaw the EHAK as a successor of Batasuna.