A new fragmented Parliament for the 40th anniversary of the Constitution

Abstract

Abstract:
Approaching forty years of the Spanish Constitution, the two-party system has been replaced in the Congress of Deputies by a fragmented composition so that the Government does not possess a sufficient majority, which upsets not only the modus operandi, but even the performance of the constitutional functions of the Spanish Parliament. This essay analyses some issues that have arisen in the current term since the last elections, as examples that show the strong differences with the Parliament known till now. Unprecedented questions require sometimes solutions not foreseen in the Constitution or the Rules of Procedure. If a balance is not achieved between a Government that allows to be controlled and a Parliament that allows to rule, comes the standstill of a minority Government, which will probably lead to an early dissolution.