Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
Coat of arms of Spain
Incumbent Yolanda Díaz since 12 July 2021
Government of Spain Council of Ministers
Style	Excelentísimo/a Señor/a
Member of	Cabinet
Residence	Palacio de la Moncloa
Seat	Madrid, Spain
Nominator	Prime Minister
Appointer	Monarch Countersigned by the Prime Minister of Spain
Term length	No fixed term No term limits are imposed on the office.
Constituting instrument	Organic Act of the State of 1967 (original) Constitution of 1978 (current)
Formation	3 January 1974 (51 years ago) (1974-01-03)
First holder	Antonio Barrera de Irimo

The Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain is an important job in the Government of Spain. This role is also called the Second Vice President of the Government of Spain. It is mentioned in the Spanish Constitution.

However, it is not a job that always exists. The Prime Minister decides if there will be a Second Deputy Prime Minister. The person holding this job helps the Prime Minister and the government.

Currently, the Second Deputy Prime Minister is Yolanda Díaz. She is also the Minister of Labour and Social Economy.

History of the Second Deputy Prime Minister

How the Role Started

The job of Second Deputy Prime Minister was created in 1967. A law called the Organic Act of the State allowed for a group of ministers, including a Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Ministers.

The first person to hold this job was Antonio Barrera de Irimo. He was appointed in 1974 by Prime Minister Carlos Arias Navarro. This happened after the leader of Spain, Francisco Franco, separated the jobs of head of government and head of state.

Who Held the Job?

After Antonio Barrera de Irimo, other people held the role. Often, the Minister of Finance was also the Second Deputy Prime Minister. For example, Rafael Cabello de Alba and Manuel Fraga held the job under Arias Navarro.

Later, Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez also appointed his Finance Ministers to this role. Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo did the same during his time as Prime Minister.

Changes Over Time

For almost 14 years, Prime Minister Felipe González did not appoint a Second Deputy Prime Minister. But later, José María Aznar and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero brought the role back. They usually chose their Finance Minister for the job.

In 2011, Manuel Chaves, who was the Minister of Territorial Policy, became the Second Deputy Prime Minister.

More recently, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy did not use this position. But Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez brought it back in his second government. In 2021, Yolanda Díaz became the Second Deputy Prime Minister.

What Does the Second Deputy Prime Minister Do?

The Second Deputy Prime Minister does not have special powers on their own. Their main job is to be a member of the Council of Ministers. This is the group of top government officials.

The role is explained in the Government Act of 1997. It says that the Second Deputy Prime Minister's main purpose is to step in for the Prime Minister. This happens if the Prime Minister is away, sick, or if the job is empty.

However, they only take on this responsibility if the First Deputy Prime Minister cannot do it. So, they are like a backup for the backup!

List of Second Deputy Prime Ministers

Here are the people who have held the job of Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain:

Different names for the office:

• Second Vice Presidency of the Government (1974–1975; 1977–1979; 1981–1982; 1996–2000; 2003–2011; 2020–present)
• Vice Presidency of the Government for Interior Affairs (1975–1976)
• Second Vice Presidency of the Government, in charge of the Coordination of the Economic Affairs (1979–1981)
• Second Vice Presidency of the Government for Economic Affairs (2000–2003)
• Vice Presidency of the Government for Territorial Policy (2011)

Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Party		Government	Prime Minister (Tenure)		Ref.
		Took office	Left office	Duration
	Antonio Barrera de Irimo (1929–2014)	4 January 1974	30 October 1974	299 days		National Movement (Nonpartisan)	Arias Navarro I		Carlos Arias Navarro (1973–1976)
	Rafael Cabello de Alba (1925–2010)	30 October 1974	12 December 1975	1 year and 43 days		National Movement (Nonpartisan)
	Manuel Fraga (1922–2012)	12 December 1975	5 July 1976	206 days		National Movement (FEDISA)	Arias Navarro II
	Alfonso Osorio (1923–2018)	8 July 1976	5 July 1977	362 days		National Movement (UDE)	Suárez I		Adolfo Suárez (1976–1981)
	Enrique Fuentes Quintana (1924–2007)	5 July 1977	25 February 1978	293 days		Independent	Suárez II
	Fernando Abril Martorell (1936–1998)	25 February 1978	6 April 1979	2 years and 197 days		UCD
		6 April 1979	9 September 1980				Suárez III
	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1926–2008)	9 September 1980	27 February 1981	171 days		UCD
Office disestablished during this interval.
	Juan Antonio García Díez (1940–1998)	2 December 1981	30 July 1982	240 days		UCD	Calvo-Sotelo		Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo (1981–1982)
Office disestablished during this interval.
	Rodrigo Rato (born 1949)	6 May 1996	28 April 2000	7 years and 121 days		PP	Aznar I		José María Aznar (1996–2004)
		28 April 2000	4 September 2003				Aznar II
	Javier Arenas (born 1957)	4 September 2003	18 April 2004	227 days		PP
	Pedro Solbes (1942–2023)	18 April 2004	14 April 2008	4 years and 354 days		Independent	Zapatero I		José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (2004–2011)
		14 April 2008	7 April 2009				Zapatero II
	Elena Salgado (born 1949)	7 April 2009	12 July 2011	2 years and 96 days		Independent
	Manuel Chaves (born 1945)	12 July 2011	22 December 2011	163 days		PSOE
Office disestablished during this interval.
	Pablo Iglesias (born 1978)	13 January 2020	31 March 2021	1 year and 77 days		Podemos	Sánchez II		Pedro Sánchez (2018–present)
	Nadia Calviño (born 1968)	31 March 2021	12 July 2021	103 days		Independent
	Yolanda Díaz (born 1971)	12 July 2021	21 November 2023	3 years and 363 days		PCE
						SMR, PCE
		21 November 2023	Incumbent				Sánchez III

See also

• Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
• Third Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
• Fourth Deputy Prime Minister of Spain