Suárez II Government

The Suárez II Government was formed on 5 July 1977 following Adolfo Suárez's confirmation as Prime Minister of Spain by King Juan Carlos I on 17 June, as a result of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) emerging as the largest parliamentary force at the 1977 general election.[1] Suárez's second cabinet was composed mainly by members of the UCD and a number of independents.[2][3] It succeeded the first Suárez government and was the Government of Spain from 5 July 1977 to 6 April 1979, a total of 640 days, or 1 year, 9 months and 1 day.[4]

Suárez II Government
Government of Spain
1977–1979
Date formed	5 July 1977
Date dissolved	6 April 1979 (acting from 2 March 1979)
People and organisations
Head of state	Juan Carlos I
Head of government	Adolfo Suárez
Deputy head of government	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, Enrique Fuentes Quintana, Fernando Abril Martorell (1977–1978) Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado, Fernando Abril Martorell (1978–1979)
No. of ministers	19[lower-alpha 1] (1977; 1978) 18[lower-alpha 1] (1977–1978; 1978–1979)
Total no. of members	24[lower-alpha 1]
Member party	UCD
Status in legislature	Minority
Opposition party	PSOE
Opposition leader	Felipe González
History
Election(s)	1977 general election
Legislature term(s)	Constituent (1977–1979)
Budget(s)	1978
Predecessor	Suárez I
Successor	Suárez III

The government was automatically dismissed on 2 March 1979 as a consequence of the 1979 general election, but remained in acting capacity until the next government was sworn in.[5]

Cabinet changes

Suárez's second government saw a number of cabinet changes during its tenure:

• On 1 September 1977, the Ministry of Culture and Welfare was renamed as Ministry of Culture, with a restructuring of the ministerial department that saw some of its competences transferred to other ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[6][7]
• On 27 September 1977, Ignacio Camuñas stepped down as Deputy Minister of Relations with the Cortes, without portfolio, over political discrepancies on the UCD's composition as a unitary political party.[8][9] After his resignation, Camuñas's office was discontinued.[10]
• On 11 February 1978, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo was appointed to the newly-created post of Minister of Relations with the European Communities, without portfolio.[11][12]
• On 25 February 1978, a major cabinet reshuffle resulting from the resignation of Enrique Fuentes Quintana saw Fernando Abril Martorell being reassigned as new Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy; Manuel Jiménez de Parga was replaced as Minister of Labour by Rafael Calvo Ortega; Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún replaced Alberto Oliart in the Ministry of Industry and Energy; Jaime Lamo de Espinosa became new Minister of Agriculture in place of José Enrique Martínez Genique; and the Ministry of Transport and Communications saw the change from José Lladó Fernández-Urrutia to Salvador Sánchez-Terán.[13][14]
• On 23 March 1979, Landelino Lavilla was elected President of the Congress of Deputies of the 1st Legislature, a position incompatible with his post as acting Minister of Justice. Rodolfo Martín Villa, acting Minister of the Interior, took on the ordinary duties of the affairs of Lavilla's vacant ministry.[15]

Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers was structured into the offices for the prime minister, the three deputy prime ministers and 18 ministries, including a number of deputy ministries without portfolio.[2][16] From February 1978, the Council would only include two deputy prime ministers.[14]

← Suárez II Government → (5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979)
Portfolio	Name	Party		Term of office	Ref.
Prime Minister	Adolfo Suárez		UCD	17 June 1977 – 2 April 1979	[1]
First Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Defence	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado		Independent	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[16] [17]
Second Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Economy	Enrique Fuentes Quintana		Independent	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[17] [18]
Third Deputy Prime Minister	Fernando Abril Martorell		UCD	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[18]
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Marcelino Oreja		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[16]
Minister of Justice	Landelino Lavilla		UCD	5 July 1977 – 22 March 1979	[16]
Minister of Finance	Francisco Fernández Ordóñez		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of the Interior	Rodolfo Martín Villa		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of Public Works and Urbanism	Joaquín Garrigues Walker		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of Education and Science	Íñigo Cavero		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of Labour	Manuel Jiménez de Parga		UCD	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[17]
Minister of Industry and Energy	Alberto Oliart		Independent	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[17]
Minister of Agriculture	José Enrique Martínez Genique		Independent	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[17]
Minister of Trade and Tourism	Juan Antonio García Díez		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of the Presidency	José Manuel Otero Novas		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of Transport and Communications	José Lladó Fernández-Urrutia		UCD	5 July 1977 – 25 February 1978	[17]
Minister of Health and Social Security	Enrique Sánchez de León		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Minister of Culture and Welfare	Pío Cabanillas Gallas		UCD	5 July 1977 – 1 September 1977	[17]
Deputy Minister of the Regions, without portfolio	Manuel Clavero Arévalo		UCD	5 July 1977 – 6 April 1979	[17]
Deputy Minister of Relations with the Cortes, without portfolio	Ignacio Camuñas		UCD	5 July 1977 – 11 February 1978	[17]
Changes September 1977
Portfolio	Name	Party		Term of office	Ref.
Minister of Culture[lower-alpha 2]	Pío Cabanillas Gallas		UCD	1 September 1977 – 6 April 1979	[7]
Deputy Minister of Relations with the Cortes, without portfolio	Discontinued on 30 September 1977 upon the officeholder's dismissal.[19]
Changes February 1978
Portfolio	Name	Party		Term of office	Ref.
Minister of Relations with the European Communities, without portfolio[lower-alpha 3]	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo		UCD	11 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[20]
Second Deputy Prime Minister Minister of Economy	Fernando Abril Martorell		UCD	25 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[21] [22]
Third Deputy Prime Minister	Restructured on 25 February 1978.[23]
Minister of Labour	Rafael Calvo Ortega		UCD	25 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[22]
Minister of Industry and Energy	Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún		UCD	25 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[22]
Minister of Agriculture	Jaime Lamo de Espinosa		UCD	25 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[22]
Minister of Transport and Communications	Salvador Sánchez-Terán		UCD	25 February 1978 – 6 April 1979	[22]
Changes 1979
Portfolio	Name	Party		Term of office	Ref.
Minister of Justice	Rodolfo Martín Villa took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 22 March 1979.[24]

Notes

1. Does not include the Prime Minister.
2. Department restructured.
3. Department of new creation.

References

1. "Suárez, confirmado por el Rey, formará nuevo Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). 18 June 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
2. "Adolfo Suárez aprobó la reforma administrativa por simple decreto". El País (in Spanish). 5 July 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
3. "Segundo Gobierno Suárez". El País (in Spanish). 5 July 1977. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
4. "Los Gobiernos de Suárez". El País (in Spanish). 30 January 1981. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
5. "La victoria de UCD (167 escaños) sitúa a Suárez en condiciones de formar un Gobierno monocolor". El País (in Spanish). 3 March 1979. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
6. "Se crea la Subdirección General de Medios de Comunicación". El País (in Spanish). 1 September 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
7. "Real Decreto 2258/1977, de 27 de agosto, sobre estructura orgánica y funciones del Ministerio de Cultura" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (209): 19581–19584. 1 September 1977. ISSN 0212-033X.
8. "Camuñas abandona el Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). 28 September 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
9. "Un síntoma de la crisis". El País (in Spanish). 29 September 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
10. "Suárez quiere neutralizar la crisis gubernamental por unos días". El País (in Spanish). 29 September 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
11. "Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo será nombrado hoy ministro para Europa". El País (in Spanish). 10 February 1978. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
12. "Calvo Sotelo, ministro para las Relaciones con la CEE". El País (in Spanish). 11 February 1978. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
13. "Se confirma la crisis de Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). 26 October 1977. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
14. "Fernando Abril asume el Ministerio de Economía y cambian cuatro ministros del Gabinete". El País (in Spanish). 25 February 1978. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
15. "Martín Villa se hace cargo de Justicia". El País (in Spanish). 23 March 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
16. "Gobiernos por legislaturas. Legislatura Constituyente". lamoncloa.gob.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2020.
17. "Real Decreto 1563/1977, de 4 de julio, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (159): 15045–15046. 5 July 1977. ISSN 0212-033X.
18. "Real Decreto 1562/1977, de 4 de julio, por el que se nombran Vicepresidentes del Gobierno a don Enrique Fuentes Quintana y don Fernando Abril Martorell" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (159): 15045. 5 July 1977. ISSN 0212-033X.
19. "Real Decreto 2521/1977, de 29 de septiembre, por el que se dispone el cese de don Ignacio Camuñas Solís como Ministro adjunto para las Relaciones con las Cortes" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (234): 21774. 30 September 1977. ISSN 0212-033X.
20. "Real Decreto 135/1978, de 10 de febrero, por el que se nombra Ministro para las Relaciones con las Comunidades Europeas, sin cartera, a don Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo y Bustelo" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (36): 3437. 11 February 1978. ISSN 0212-033X.
21. "Real Decreto 230/1978, de 24 de febrero, por el que se nombra Vicepresidente segundo del Gobierno a don Fernando Abril Martorell" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (48): 4613. 25 February 1978. ISSN 0212-033X.
22. "Real Decreto 231/1978, de 24 de febrero, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (48): 4613. 25 February 1978. ISSN 0212-033X.
23. "Real Decreto 228/1978, de 24 de febrero, por el que se dispone el cese del Vicepresidente tercero del Gobierno, don Fernando Abril Martorell" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (48): 4612. 25 February 1978. ISSN 0212-033X.
24. "Real Decreto 548/1979, de 22 de marzo, por el que se dispone el cese en sus funciones del Ministro de Justicia, don Landelino Lavilla Alsina" (pdf). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Agencia Estatal Boletín Oficial del Estado (71): 7119. 23 March 2019. ISSN 0212-033X.

External links

• www.historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Governments of Spain 1977–1982. Ministers of Adolfo Suárez and Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo
• www.lluisbelenes.es (in Spanish). The governments of the Union of the Democratic Centre (1977–1992)

Preceded by Suárez I

Government of Spain 1977–1979

Succeeded by Suárez III