Third government of Adolfo Suárez facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 3rd government of Adolfo Suárez
Government of Spain
1979–1981
The government in May 1980 (top) and September 1980 (bottom).
Date formed	6 April 1979
Date dissolved	27 February 1981
People and organisations
Monarch	Juan Carlos I
Prime Minister	Adolfo Suárez
Deputy Prime Ministers	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado1st, Fernando Abril Martorell2nd (1979–1980) Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado1st, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo2nd (1980–1981)
No. of ministers	23 (1979–1980) 22 (1980–1981)
Total no. of members	30
Member party	UCD
Status in legislature	Minority government
Opposition party	PSOE
Opposition leader	Felipe González
History
Election(s)	1979 general election
Legislature term(s)	1st Cortes Generales
Budget(s)	1979, 1980, 1981
Predecessor	Suárez II
Successor	Calvo-Sotelo

The third government led by Adolfo Suárez was created on April 6, 1979. This happened after he was chosen as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies (which is like Spain's parliament) on March 30. He officially started his job on April 2. His political party, the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), won the most votes in the 1979 Spanish general election.

This government followed Suárez's second government. It was the official Government of Spain from April 6, 1979, until February 27, 1981. This means it was in power for about 1 year, 10 months, and 21 days. This was also the first government to be set up under Spain's new rulebook, the Spanish Constitution of 1978. Most members of this government were from the UCD party. It also included two military officers, Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado and Antonio Ibáñez Freire. Later, some independent people joined the government too. The government officially ended on January 29, 1981, when Adolfo Suárez resigned as Prime Minister. However, it continued to work until the next government was ready to take over.

How the Government Was Approved

For Adolfo Suárez to become Prime Minister, he needed to be approved by the Congress of Deputies. This process is called an investiture. Here's how the votes turned out on March 30, 1979:

Approval Vote Adolfo Suárez (UCD)
Vote →		30 March 1979
Votes needed →		176 out of 350 Y
	Yes Votes • UCD (168) • CD (8) • PSA–PA (5) • PAR (1) • UPN (1)	183 / 350
	No Votes • PSOE (94) • PCE–PSUC (23) • PSC (16) • PNV (6) • PSE (6) • UN (1) • ERC (1) • EE (1) • UPC (1)	149 / 350
	Abstentions • CiU (8)	8 / 350
	Absent • PSOE (4) • HB (3) • PSC (1) • CD (1) • PNV (1)	10 / 350
Sources

Changes in the Government Team

Adolfo Suárez's third government saw several changes to its ministers while it was in power. These changes are often called "cabinet reshuffles."

January 1980 Changes

• On January 17, 1980, Manuel Clavero stepped down as Minister of Culture. He disagreed with his party, the UCD, about how much freedom the region of Andalusia should have. He was replaced by Ricardo de la Cierva the next day. Suárez also used this chance to move some responsibilities between other ministers.

May 1980 Changes

• On May 3, 1980, a bigger change happened due to power struggles within the UCD party.
• Antonio Ibáñez Freire (from the Interior Ministry), Carlos Bustelo (from Industry and Energy), and Juan Antonio García Díez (from Trade and Tourism) were replaced.
• New ministers included Juan José Rosón, Ignacio Bayón, and Luis Gámir.
• José Pedro Pérez-Llorca took on a new role as Minister of Territorial Administration.
• Other ministers also changed roles or had their departments reorganized. For example, the role of deputy minister held by Joaquín Garrigues Walker was removed.

September 1980 Changes

• The last major changes under Adolfo Suárez happened on September 9, 1980. This was just before Suárez called for a vote of confidence in his government. He wanted to make his position stronger within his party.
• Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo became the Second Deputy Prime Minister, replacing Fernando Abril Martorell.
• Marcelino Oreja left his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and José Pedro Pérez-Llorca took over.
• Íñigo Cavero moved from Justice to Culture.
• Other changes happened in the Education, Labour, and Relations with the European Communities ministries.
• Some former ministers, like Alberto Oliart and Rodolfo Martín Villa, returned to the government in new roles. A new deputy minister to the Prime Minister, Pío Cabanillas Gallas, was also added.

Ministers in the Government

The government was made up of the Prime Minister, two Deputy Prime Ministers, and 21 other ministries. Some ministers were "without portfolio," meaning they had special tasks but no specific department. The number of ministers stayed similar, but some roles changed over time.

Government Departments and Leaders

The government of Adolfo Suárez had different departments, each with its own leader. These departments helped run the country.

Types of Leaders

• (■) Secretary of State: A high-level official, just below a minister.
• (■) Undersecretary: Helps the Secretary of State or Minister.
• (■) Director-general: Manages a specific part of a department.
• (●) Autonomous agency: A special group that works on its own, but is part of the government.
• (◆) Military & intelligence agency: Groups related to defense and national security.

Office (Original name)	Portrait	Name	Took office	Left office	Alliance/party			Ref.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister (Presidencia del Gobierno)	Adolfo Suárez	Adolfo Suárez	2 April 1979	26 February 1981 (resigned)			UCD
First Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of the Coordination of the Security and National Defence Affairs (Vicepresidencia Primera del Gobierno, encargada de la coordinación de los asuntos de la Seguridad y Defensa Nacional)	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado	Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD (Military)
Second Deputy Prime Minister, in charge of the Coordination of the Economic Affairs (Vicepresidencia Segunda del Gobierno, encargada de la coordinación de los asuntos económicos)	Fernando Abril Martorell	Fernando Abril Martorell	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores)	Marcelino Oreja	Marcelino Oreja	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Justice (Ministerio de Justicia)	Íñigo Cavero	Íñigo Cavero	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Francisco Fernández Ordóñez	Francisco Fernández Ordóñez	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (Ministerio de Defensa)	Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún	Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Finance (Ministerio de Hacienda)	Jaime García Añoveros	Jaime García Añoveros	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior (Ministerio del Interior)	Antonio Ibáñez Freire	Antonio Ibáñez Freire	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD (Military)
	Juan José Rosón	Juan José Rosón	3 May 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Public Works and Urbanism
Ministry of Public Works and Urbanism (Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Urbanismo)	Jesús Sancho Rof	Jesús Sancho Rof	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación)	José Manuel Otero	José Manuel Otero	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Juan Antonio Ortega y Díaz-Ambrona	Juan Antonio Ortega y Díaz-Ambrona	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Labour
Ministry of Labour (Ministerio de Trabajo)	Rafael Calvo Ortega	Rafael Calvo Ortega	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	Salvador Sánchez-Terán	Salvador Sánchez-Terán	3 May 1980	9 September 1980			UCD
	Félix Manuel Pérez Miyares	Félix Manuel Pérez Miyares	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Industry and Energy
Ministry of Industry and Energy (Ministerio de Industria y Energía)	Carlos Bustelo	Carlos Bustelo	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	Ignacio Bayón	Ignacio Bayón	3 May 1980	27 February 1981			UCD (Independent)
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture (Ministerio de Agricultura)	Jaime Lamo de Espinosa	Jaime Lamo de Espinosa	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Trade and Tourism
Ministry of Trade and Tourism (Ministerio de Comercio y Turismo) (until 9 September 1980)	Juan Antonio García Díez	Juan Antonio García Díez	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	Luis Gámir	Luis Gámir	3 May 1980	9 September 1980			UCD
Ministry of the Presidency
Ministry of the Presidency (Ministerio de la Presidencia)	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	Rafael Arias-Salgado	Rafael Arias-Salgado	3 May 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Economy
Ministry of Economy (Ministerio de Economía) (until 9 September 1980) Ministry of Economy; Ministry of Trade (Ministerio de Economía; Ministerio de Comercio) (9 September – 7 October 1980) Ministry of Economy and Trade (Ministerio de Economía y Comercio) (from 7 October 1980)	José Luis Leal	José Luis Leal	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Juan Antonio García Díez	Juan Antonio García Díez	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Transport and Communications
Ministry of Transport and Communications (Ministerio de Transportes y Comunicaciones)	Salvador Sánchez-Terán	Salvador Sánchez-Terán	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	José Luis Álvarez	José Luis Álvarez	3 May 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Health and Social Security
Ministry of Health and Social Security (Ministerio de Sanidad y Seguridad Social)	Juan Rovira Tarazona	Juan Rovira Tarazona	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Alberto Oliart	Alberto Oliart	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD (UCD from Dec 1980; Indep. until Dec 1980)
Ministry of Culture
Ministry of Culture (Ministerio de Cultura)	Manuel Clavero	Manuel Clavero	6 April 1979	17 January 1980 (resigned)			UCD
	Ricardo de la Cierva	Ricardo de la Cierva	18 January 1980	9 September 1980			UCD
	Íñigo Cavero	Íñigo Cavero	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry for Territorial Administrations
Ministry of Territorial Administration (Ministerio de Administración Territorial)	Antonio Fontán	Antonio Fontán	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	José Pedro Pérez-Llorca	3 May 1980	9 September 1980			UCD
	Rodolfo Martín Villa	Rodolfo Martín Villa	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministry of Universities and Research
Ministry of Universities and Research (Ministerio de Universidades e Investigación)	Luis González Seara	Luis González Seara	6 April 1979	27 February 1981			UCD
Ministers Without Portfolio These ministers had special tasks but were not in charge of a specific department.
Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, without portfolio (Ministro adjunto al Presidente, sin cartera) (until 3 May 1980)	Joaquín Garrigues Walker	Joaquín Garrigues Walker	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
Minister for Relations with the European Communities, without portfolio (Ministro para las Relaciones con las Comunidades Europeas, sin cartera)	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo	Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo	6 April 1979	9 September 1980			UCD
	Eduard Punset	Eduard Punset	9 September 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Deputy Minister for Relations with the Cortes, without portfolio (Ministro adjunto para las Relaciones con las Cortes, sin cartera) (until 18 January 1980) Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, without portfolio (Ministro adjunto al Presidente, sin cartera) (18 January – 3 May 1980)	Rafael Arias-Salgado	Rafael Arias-Salgado	6 April 1979	3 May 1980			UCD
Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, without portfolio, in charge of Public Administration (Ministro adjunto al Presidente, sin cartera, encargado de la Administración Pública) (from 3 May 1980)	Sebastián Martín-Retortillo	Sebastián Martín-Retortillo	3 May 1980	27 February 1981			UCD
Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister, without portfolio, in charge of Legislative Coordination (Ministro adjunto al Presidente, sin cartera, encargado de la Coordinación Legislativa) (3 May – 9 September 1980)	Juan Antonio Ortega y Díaz-Ambrona	Juan Antonio Ortega y Díaz-Ambrona	3 May 1980	9 September 1980			UCD

See also

In Spanish: Tercer Gobierno Suárez para niños