Prime Minister of Spain

Prime Minister of Spain
Presidente del Gobierno de España
since 2 June 2018
Government of Spain
Office of the Prime Minister
StyleThe Most Excellent
TypeHead of government
Member of
Reports toMonarch
Cortes Generales
ResidencePalace of Moncloa
SeatMadrid, Spain
NominatorThe Congress of Deputies
AppointerThe Monarch
Term lengthNo fixed term
DeputyDeputy Prime Minister
Salary€90,000 per annum
Websitelamoncloa.gob.es

The prime minister of Spain, officially president of the Government (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno), is the head of government of Spain. The prime minister nominates the ministers and chairs the Council of Ministers. In this sense, the prime minister establishes the Government policies and coordinates the actions of the Cabinet members. As chief executive, the prime minister also advises the monarch on the exercise of their royal prerogatives.

Although it is not possible to determine when the position actually originated, the office of prime minister evolved throughout history to what it is today. The role of prime minister (then called Secretary of State) as president of the Council of Ministers, first appears in a royal decree of 1824 by King Ferdinand VII. The current office was established during the reign of Juan Carlos I, in the 1978 Constitution, which describes the prime minister's constitutional role and powers, how the prime minister accedes to, and is removed from office, and the relationship between the prime minister and Parliament.

Upon a vacancy, the monarch nominates a candidate for a vote of confidence by the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Cortes Generales. The process is a parliamentary investiture by which the head of government is elected by the Congress of Deputies. In practice, the prime minister is almost always the leader of the largest party in the Congress, although not necessarily. The prime minister's official residence and office is Moncloa Palace in Madrid.

Pedro Sánchez, of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), has been prime minister since 2 June 2018. He first came to power after a successful motion of no confidence against former prime minister Mariano Rajoy. Since then, Sánchez has led three governments, the most—along with Adolfo Suárez—just behind fellow socialist Felipe González, prime minister from 1982 to 1996. King Felipe VI re-appointed Sánchez for the third time on 17 November 2023 after he reached a coalition agreement with Sumar and gathered the support of other minor parties. His third government took office on 21 November 2023.