Second government of José María Aznar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 2nd government of José María Aznar
Government of Spain
2000–2004
The government in March 2001 (top) and September 2003 (bottom).
Date formed	28 April 2000
Date dissolved	18 April 2004
People and organisations
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	José María Aznar
Deputy Prime Ministers	Mariano Rajoy1st, Rodrigo Rato2nd (2000–2003) Rodrigo Rato1st, Javier Arenas2nd (2003–2004)
No. of ministers	16 (2000–02) 15 (2002–04)
Total no. of members	25
Member party	PP
Status in legislature	Majority government
Opposition party	PSOE
Opposition leader	José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
History
Election(s)	2000 general election
Outgoing election	2004 general election
Legislature term(s)	7th Cortes Generales
Budget(s)	2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
Predecessor	Aznar I
Successor	Zapatero I

The second government of José María Aznar was a group of leaders who worked together to run Spain. It was formed on April 28, 2000. This happened after José María Aznar was chosen as the Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies. His political party, the People's Party (PP), won the most votes in the 2000 Spanish general election.

This government followed Aznar's first government. It was in charge of Spain from April 28, 2000, until April 18, 2004. That's about four years! The group included members from the People's Party and some independent people. The government automatically ended on March 15, 2004, after the 2004 Spanish general election. However, they continued to work until the next government was ready.

How Was the Government Formed?

To form a new government, the chosen Prime Minister needs to be approved. This approval is called an investiture. On April 26, 2000, José María Aznar needed at least 176 votes out of 350 in the Congress of Deputies to become Prime Minister.

• Yes votes: 202 (from the People's Party and other smaller parties)
• No votes: 148 (from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and others)
• Abstentions: 0
• Absentees: 0

Since he received 202 "Yes" votes, which was more than the 176 needed, José María Aznar was approved to lead the government.

Changes in the Government Team

During its time in power, Aznar's second government had several changes. This means some ministers left, and new ones joined.

• February 28, 2001: Jaime Mayor Oreja, who was the Minister of the Interior, left his job. He wanted to run for a different political position in the Basque region. Mariano Rajoy took over as Minister of the Interior. Then, Juan José Lucas became the Minister of the Presidency.

• July 10, 2002: There was a big change in many government roles.
  • Ana de Palacio became the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, replacing Josep Piqué.
  • Josep Piqué then became the Minister of Science and Technology.
  • Mariano Rajoy took on more responsibilities, becoming Minister of the Presidency and the main spokesperson for the government.
  • Ángel Acebes was appointed Minister of the Interior.
  • José María Michavila became the Minister of Justice.
  • Eduardo Zaplana replaced Juan Carlos Aparicio as Minister of Labour and Social Affairs.
  • Javier Arenas became Minister of Public Administrations.
  • Ana Pastor took over as Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs.

• March 3, 2003: Elvira Rodríguez replaced Jaume Matas as Minister of Environment. Jaume Matas stepped down to run for a political position in the Balearic Islands.

• September 4, 2003: Josep Piqué and Mariano Rajoy left the government. They were chosen to be lead candidates in upcoming elections.
  • Rodrigo Rato was promoted to First Deputy Prime Minister.
  • Javier Arenas became the new Second Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidency.
  • Eduardo Zaplana also became the government's spokesperson.
  • Julia García-Valdecasas became the new Minister of Public Administrations.
  • Juan Costa took over as Minister of Science and Technology.

Who Was in the Government?

The government was organized into different departments, each led by a minister. There was the Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, and 15 other ministries. There was also a spokesperson for the government.

Images for kids

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  José María Aznar, Prime Minister

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  Mariano Rajoy, First Deputy Prime Minister and other roles

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  Rodrigo Rato, Second Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs

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  Josep Piqué, Minister of Foreign Affairs and later Science and Technology

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  Ángel Acebes, Minister of Justice and later Interior

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  Federico Trillo, Minister of Defence

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  Cristóbal Montoro, Minister of Finance

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  Jaime Mayor Oreja, Minister of the Interior

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  Francisco Álvarez-Cascos, Minister of Development

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  Pilar del Castillo, Minister of Education, Culture and Sports

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  Juan Carlos Aparicio, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs

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  Miguel Arias Cañete, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

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  Jesús Posada, Minister of Public Administrations

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  Celia Villalobos, Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs

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  Jaume Matas, Minister of Environment

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  Anna Birulés, Minister of Science and Technology

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  Pío Cabanillas Alonso, Spokesperson Minister of the Government

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  Juan José Lucas, Minister of the Presidency

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  Ana Palacio, Minister of Foreign Affairs

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  José María Michavila, Minister of Justice

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  Eduardo Zaplana, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs and Spokesperson

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  Javier Arenas, Minister of Public Administrations and Second Deputy Prime Minister

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  Ana Pastor, Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs

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  Elvira Rodríguez, Minister of Environment

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  Julia García-Valdecasas, Minister of Public Administrations

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  Juan Costa, Minister of Science and Technology

See also

In Spanish: Segundo Gobierno Aznar para niños