First government of Adolfo Suárez

The first government of Adolfo Suárez was formed on 8 July 1976, following the latter's appointment as Prime Minister of Spain by King Juan Carlos I on 3 July and his swearing-in on 5 July, as a result of Carlos Arias Navarro's resignation from the post on 1 July 1976.^[1][2][3] It succeeded the second Arias Navarro government and was the Government of Spain from 8 July 1976 to 5 July 1977, a total of 362 days, or 11 months and 27 days.^[4][5]

1st government of Adolfo Suárez
Government of Spain
1976–1977
Adolfo Suárez in August 1977.
Date formed	8 July 1976
Date dissolved	5 July 1977
People and organisations
Head of state	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	Adolfo Suárez
Deputy Prime Ministers	Fernando de Santiago1st, Alfonso Osorio2nd (1976) Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado1st, Alfonso Osorio2nd (1976–1977)
No. of ministers	19[a]
Total no. of members	22[a]
Member party	National Movement (Legal associations, military, nonpartisans) (1976–1977)   UCD (1977)
Status in legislature	One-party state
History
Legislature term	10th Cortes Españolas
Budget	1977
Predecessor	Arias Navarro II
Successor	Suárez II

Suárez's first cabinet comprised members from the National Movement (with the notable absences of FET y de las JONS and the Opus Dei),^[6] but also by members of the reformist 'Tácito' group,^[7][8] a number of political associations that could not yet be legalized as parties—such as the Spanish People's Union (UDPE) and the Spanish Democratic Union (UDE)—and the Federation of Independent Studies (FEDISA) political society.^[9][10][11] Following the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the regulations of the Cortes Españolas had been amended to allow legislators to group into parliamentary factions, one of whom—the Independent Parliamentary Group (GPI), which would later become the Independent Social Federation (FSI) party—being represented in the Council of Ministers through Rodolfo Martín Villa.^[12]

On 7 April 1977, the National Movement and the FET y de las JONS party were officially disbanded,^[13][14] and many cabinet members—who had gone their own separate ways to a number of political parties ahead of the 1977 general election—joined into the nascent Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) electoral alliance under Suárez's leadership upon its formation in May 1977.^[15][16][17]

Cabinet changes

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

• On 23 September 1976, Fernando de Santiago was replaced as First Deputy Prime Minister by Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado.^[18][19]
• Minister of the Navy Gabriel Pita da Veiga announced his resignation on 12 April 1977 over personal disagreements with the government's decision to legalize the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) on 9 April;^[20][21] he was replaced by Admiral Pascual Pery on 15 April.^[22][23]
• On 23 April 1977, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo resigned as Minister of Public Works in order to organize the newly-formed Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) ahead of the 1977 Spanish general election.^[24] Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary duties of the affairs of the ministry until Calvo-Sotelo's successor, Luis Ortiz González, could take office on 11 May 1977.^[25][26][27]

Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers was structured into the offices for the prime minister, the two deputy prime ministers and 19 ministries, including one minister without portfolio.

← Suárez I Government → (8 July 1976 – 5 July 1977)
Portfolio	Name	Faction		Took office	Left office	Ref.
Prime Minister	Adolfo Suárez		UDPE/Indep.[b]	5 July 1976	17 June 1977	[28]
First Deputy Prime Minister Minister without portfolio	Fernando de Santiago		Military	8 July 1976	23 September 1976	[29] [30]
Second Deputy Prime Minister Minister of the Presidency	Alfonso Osorio		UDE	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[29] [30]
Minister of Foreign Affairs	Marcelino Oreja		Tácito	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Justice	Landelino Lavilla		Tácito	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of the Army	Félix Álvarez-Arenas		Military	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of the Navy	Gabriel Pita da Veiga		Military	8 July 1976	15 April 1977	[30]
Minister of Finance	Eduardo Carriles		UDE	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Governance	Rodolfo Martín Villa		GPI	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Public Works	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo		FEDISA	8 July 1976	23 April 1977	[30]
Minister of Education and Science	Aurelio Menéndez		Nonpartisan	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Labour	Álvaro Rengifo		Nonpartisan	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Industry	Carlos Pérez de Bricio		FEDISA	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of the Air	Carlos Franco Iribarnegaray		Military	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Agriculture	Fernando Abril Martorell		UDPE/Indep.[b]	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister Secretary-General of the Movement	Ignacio García López		UDPE/Indep.[b]	8 July 1976	7 April 1977	[30]
Minister of Trade	José Lladó		UDPE/Indep.[b]	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Information and Tourism	Andrés Reguera		UDE	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister of Housing	Francisco Lozano Vicente		Nonpartisan	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Minister for Trade Union Relations	Enrique de la Mata		UDE	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	[30]
Changes September 1976
Portfolio	Name	Faction		Took office	Left office	Ref.
First Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs[c] Minister without portfolio	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado		Military	23 September 1976	5 July 1977	[31]
Changes April 1977
Portfolio	Name	Faction		Took office	Left office	Ref.
Minister of the Navy	Pascual Pery		Military	15 April 1977	5 July 1977	[32]
Minister of Public Works	Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977.[33]
	Luis Ortiz González		Independent	11 May 1977	5 July 1977	[34]
Minister Secretary of the Government[d]	Ignacio García López		Independent	7 April 1977	5 July 1977	[13]

Notes

1. Does not include the Prime Minister.
2. Remained in the cabinet as an unaligned independent after UDPE merged into AP in October 1976.
3. Following Fernando de Santiago's dismissal as First Deputy Prime Minister on 23 September 1976, the post was rebranded as the post of the First Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs.
4. On 7 April 1977, the Minister Secretary-General of the Movement was reorganized as the Minister Secretary of the Government.^[13]