First government of José María Aznar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 1st government of José María Aznar
Government of Spain
1996–2000
The government in May 1996 (top) and April 1999 (bottom).
Date formed	6 May 1996
Date dissolved	28 April 2000
People and organisations
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José María Aznar
Deputy Prime Ministers	Francisco Álvarez-Cascos1st, Rodrigo Rato2nd
No. of ministers	15
Total no. of members	19
Member party	PP
Status in legislature	Minority government
Opposition party	PSOE
Opposition leader	Felipe González (1996–1997) Joaquín Almunia (1997–1998) Josep Borrell (1998–1999) Joaquín Almunia (1999–2000)
History
Election(s)	1996 general election
Outgoing election	2000 general election
Legislature term(s)	6th Cortes Generales
Budget(s)	1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
Predecessor	González IV
Successor	Aznar II

The first government led by José María Aznar was set up on May 6, 1996. This happened after he was chosen as the Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies (Spain's main parliament) on May 4. He officially took his oath on May 5. His party, the People's Party (PP), won the most seats in the 1996 Spanish general election.

This government took over from the previous one led by Felipe González. It was the official Government of Spain from May 6, 1996, until April 28, 2000. This means it was in power for about four years. The government included members from the PP and some people who were not part of any political party (called independents). It officially ended on March 13, 2000, after the 2000 Spanish general election. However, it continued to manage things until the next government was ready to take over.

How the Government Was Formed

After the 1996 election, José María Aznar needed to be approved by the Spanish parliament. This process is called an investiture. To become Prime Minister, he needed more than half of the votes from the 350 members of the Congress of Deputies. This meant he needed at least 176 votes.

On May 4, 1996, the parliament voted. Aznar received enough votes to become Prime Minister.

Vote to Approve the Prime Minister José María Aznar (PP)
Vote on →		4 May 1996
Votes needed →		176 out of 350 Y
	Yes (181 votes) • PP (156) • CiU (16) • PNV (5) • CC (4)	181 / 350
	No (166 votes) • PSOE (141) • IU–IC (21) • BNG (2) • ERC (1) • EA (1)	166 / 350
	Abstentions (1 vote) • UV (1)	1 / 350
	Absentees (2 people) • HB (2)	2 / 350
Sources

Who Was in the Government?

The government was made up of the Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, and 14 different ministers. These ministers were in charge of different areas, like foreign affairs, justice, defense, and education. The group of all these ministers is called the Council of Ministers.

Important Changes in the Government

During its time in power, Aznar's first government had a few changes in its ministers. This is called a cabinet reshuffle, which means some ministers leave and new ones join.

• July 1998: Josep Piqué became the new Spokesperson of the Government. This person's job is to speak for the government to the public. He took over after the previous spokesperson, Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, left.
• January 1999: There was a bigger change.
  • Manuel Pimentel became the new Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
  • Mariano Rajoy moved from the Public Administrations ministry to become the Minister of Education and Culture.
  • Ángel Acebes then took Rajoy's old job as Minister of Public Administrations.
• April 1999: Jesús Posada became the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. He replaced Loyola de Palacio, who was chosen to run in the European Parliament election.
• February 2000: Manuel Pimentel resigned as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs. This happened because of some problems involving one of his close helpers. Juan Carlos Aparicio was then appointed to replace him.

Images for kids

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  José María Aznar, Prime Minister

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  Francisco Álvarez-Cascos, First Deputy Prime Minister

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  Rodrigo Rato, Second Deputy Prime Minister

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  Abel Matutes, Minister of Foreign Affairs

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  Margarita Mariscal de Gante, Minister of Justice

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  Eduardo Serra Rexach, Minister of Defence

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  Jaime Mayor Oreja, Minister of the Interior

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  Rafael Arias-Salgado, Minister of Development

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  Esperanza Aguirre, Minister of Education and Culture (until Jan 1999)

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  Mariano Rajoy, Minister of Education and Culture (from Jan 1999) and Minister of Public Administrations (until Jan 1999)

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  Javier Arenas, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (until Jan 1999)

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  Manuel Pimentel, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (Jan 1999 – Feb 2000)

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  Juan Carlos Aparicio, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs (from Feb 2000)

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  Josep Piqué, Minister of Industry and Energy, and Spokesperson of the Government (from July 1998)

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  Loyola de Palacio, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (until April 1999)

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  Jesús Posada, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (from April 1999)

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  Ángel Acebes, Minister of Public Administrations (from Jan 1999)

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  José Manuel Romay Beccaría, Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs

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  Isabel Tocino, Minister of Environment

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  Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, Spokesperson of the Government (until July 1998)

See also

In Spanish: Primer Gobierno Aznar para niños