"became Cortés' interpreter. From Cozumel, the fleet looped around the north of the Yucatán Peninsula and followed the coast to the Grijalva River, which Cortés named in honour of the Spanish captain who had discovered it. In Tabasco, Cortés anchored his ships at Potonchán, a Chontal Maya town. The Maya prepared for battle but the Spanish horses and firearms quickly decided the outcome. The defeated Chontal Maya lords offered gold, food, clothing and a group of young women in tribute to the victors. Among these women was a young Maya noblewoman called Malintzin, who was given the Spanish name Marina."
"Parliament of Catalonia The Parliament of Catalonia (, ; ; ) is the unicameral regional legislature of Catalonia. It is formed by 135 members (""diputats""), who are elected every four years or after extraordinary dissolution, chosen by universal suffrage in lists with four constituencies, the Catalan provinces. The Parliament building is located in Ciutadella park, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 21 December 2017. Following the 2015 Catalan regional election and the disputed October 1st independence referendum results, the Parliament of Catalonia unilaterally declared independence from Spain on 27 October 2017 with a vote of"
"Congress of Deputies The Congress of Deputies (; ; ; ) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. It is located in the Palace of the Parliament ("""", Madrid). It has 350 members elected by constituencies (matching fifty Spanish provinces and two autonomous cities) by proportional representation using the D'Hondt method. Deputies serve four-year terms. The ""President of the Congress of Deputies"" is the analogue to a speaker and presides over debates. In the Congress, members of the Parliament from the political parties, or groups of parties, form parliamentary groups. Groups must be formed by at"
"Senate of Spain The Senate () is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 265 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 57 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time. The Senate was first established under the constitution of 1837 under the regency of Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies. It remained under the regimes of the constitutions of 1845, 1856, 1869 and 1876. It was composed, at that latter time, of three main categories: senators by their own right, senators"
"Senate of Spain The Senate () is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 265 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 57 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time. The Senate was first established under the constitution of 1837 under the regency of Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies. It remained under the regimes of the constitutions of 1845, 1856, 1869 and 1876. It was composed, at that latter time, of three main categories: senators by their own right, senators"
"the current Parliament of Catalonia was elected on 20 March 1980. On 27 October 2017, the Parliament tried to found a Catalan republic with an unilateral declaration of independence. Parliament of Catalonia The Parliament of Catalonia (, ; ; ) is the unicameral regional legislature of Catalonia. It is formed by 135 members (""diputats""), who are elected every four years or after extraordinary dissolution, chosen by universal suffrage in lists with four constituencies, the Catalan provinces. The Parliament building is located in Ciutadella park, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The most recent parliamentary elections were held on 21 December 2017. Following the"
"12th Congress of Deputies The 12th Congress of Deputies is the current Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Cortes Generales, with the membership determined by the results of the 2016 general election held on 26 June 2016. The congress met for the first time on 19 July 2016. According to the Constitution of Spain the maximum legislative term of the congress is 4 years from the preceding election. The 12th Spanish general election was held on 26 June 2016. At the election the conservative People's Party remained the largest party in the Congress of Deputies but fell"
"that took place in the Congress Palace of Madrid. In the 2015 Spanish general elections, Cs entered parliament with 13.9% and 40 seats. As PP's Mariano Rajoy refused the mandate to form a government, Cs promised the second-largest party PSOE support in parliament in exchange for a number of political concessions. This pact, however, would have needed the support of Podemos and finally did not gain a parliamentarian majority, paving the way for a repeat election in 2016. In this elections Cs lost only 0.8%, but lost 8 seats due to Spain's electoral system. After these elections, Cs could strike"
"Congress of Deputies. In practice, the Prime Minister is almost always the leader of the largest party in the Congress. Since current constitutional practice in Spain calls for the King to act on the advice of his ministers, the Prime Minister is the country's chief executive. Pedro Sánchez of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) has been Prime Minister since 2 June, 2018, after a successful motion of no confidence against former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The Spanish head of government has, since 1938, been known in Spanish as the – literally but commonly translated to ""Prime Minister"", the usual"
"Cortes Generales The Cortes Generales (; ) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of two chambers: the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). The members of the Cortes are the representatives of the Spanish people. The Congress of Deputies meets in the Palacio de las Cortes, and the Senate meets in the separate Palacio del Senado, both located in Madrid. The Cortes are elected through universal, free, equal, direct and secret suffrage, with the exception of some senatorial seats, which are elected indirectly by the legislatures of the autonomous community. The Cortes"
"in the world. Spain is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch and a bicameral parliament, the ""Cortes Generales"" (General Courts). The executive branch consists of a Council of Ministers of Spain presided over by the Prime Minister, nominated and appointed by the monarch and confirmed by the Congress of Deputies following legislative elections. By political custom established by King Juan Carlos since the ratification of the 1978 Constitution, the king's nominees have all been from parties who maintain a plurality of seats in the Congress. The legislative branch is made up of the Congress of Deputies (""Congreso de los"
"Palau del Parlament de Catalunya The Palau del Parlament de Catalunya (Catalan for ""Palace of the Parliament of Catalonia""; ) is the meeting place of the Parliament of Catalonia, located in Barcelona. It was built between 1717 and 1727 as the arsenal of the Ciutadella, to designs of Jorge Próspero de Verboom. After the Ciutadella was demolished in the mid-19th century, the building was used for various purposes, including a barracks, a royal palace and an art museum. The palace was the meeting place of the Parliament of Catalonia from 1932 to 1939, when it was dissolved during the Spanish"
"12th congress has seen the following deaths, disqualifications and resignations: 12th Congress of Deputies The 12th Congress of Deputies is the current Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Cortes Generales, with the membership determined by the results of the 2016 general election held on 26 June 2016. The congress met for the first time on 19 July 2016. According to the Constitution of Spain the maximum legislative term of the congress is 4 years from the preceding election. The 12th Spanish general election was held on 26 June 2016. At the election the conservative People's Party remained"
"Diputados"") with 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms, and a Senate (""Senado"") with 259 seats of which 208 are directly elected by popular vote, using a limited voting method, and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures to also serve four-year terms. Spain is organisationally structured as a so-called ""Estado de las Autonomías"" (""State of Autonomies""); it is one of the most decentralised countries in Europe, along with Switzerland, Germany and Belgium; for example, all autonomous communities have their own elected parliaments, governments, public administrations, budgets, and resources. Health"
"President of the Senate of Spain The President of the Senate of Spain () is the speaker of the Spanish Senate, the upper house of Spain's ""Cortes Generales"". The current office was established in 1978 by Article 72, Section 2 of the Spanish Constitution, which states in part, ""The Houses shall choose their respective Presidents..."". However, the position has a tradition of almost 200 years, since its creation in 1834. The current president, of the X Legislature, is Pío García-Escudero, a People's Party member who represents the electoral district of Madrid. The functions of the President of the Senate of"
"Members of the 11th Cortes Generales The 11th Cortes Generales comprised both the lower (Congress) and upper (Senate) houses of the legislature of Spain following the 2015 general election on 20 December 2015. They first convened on 13 January 2016, and were dissolved on 3 May 2016. The 2015 election saw 52 constituencies return 350 MPs for Congress and 208 for Senate. The People's Party (PP), led by Mariano Rajoy, remained the largest party. However, with 123 seats, it lost its overall majority and had its worst election performance since 1989. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) secured 90 seats,"
"usually every Friday at the Palace of Moncloa in Madrid, the official residence of the prime minister who presides over the meetings, even though, on exceptions they can be held in any other Spanish city. Also, on exceptions, the meeting can be presided by the King of Spain, by request of the prime minister, in which case, the Council informs the King of the State's affairs. From 7 June 2018, the acting government consists of one deputy prime-minister, María del Carmen Calvo Poyato, and 17 ministries: The constitution also established the Council of State, a supreme advisory council to the"
"Constituent Cortes The Constituent Cortes () is the description of Spain's parliament, the Cortes, when convened as a constituent assembly. In the 20th century, only one Constituent Cortes was officially opened (Cortes are ""opened"" in accordance with a mediaeval royal proclamation), and that was the Republican Cortes in 1931. It drafted a new constitution but its work was overturned by the victory of the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The Cortes in 1977 enacted a new Spanish constitution which it had drafted. It was never officially considered ""constituent"", as the assembly chosen in the 1977 general elections was not"
"Mercosur Parliament The Mercosur Parliament (, ), known also as Parlasur, or Parlasul, is the parliamentary institution of the Mercosur trade bloc. It is composed of 81 MPs, 18 from each member states of the bloc – Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – and 9 from applying member Venezuela. Associate members – Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – may also hold seats on the Parliament, but with no voting powers. The creation of the Mercosur Parliament traces back to a 2002 process of establishing bodies and procedures aimed at the institutionalization and political autonomy of the bloc. During the"
"Legislative Palace of San Lázaro The Legislative Palace of San Lázaro (Spanish: ""Palacio Legislativo de San Lázaro"") is the main seat of the legislative power of the Mexican government, being the permanent meeting place of the Chamber of Deputies (equivalent to the House of Representatives or House of Commons), as well as the seat of the whole ""Congress of the Union"", when the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house) convenes in conjunction with the Senate of the Republic (the upper house; UK House of Lords equivalent). Built in the late 20th century after a 1977 political reform, the complex is"
"more than a plurality. Two anomalous examples are: Due to population growth, Andalusia, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Catalonia, and Madrid each gained a new senator in 2008. Andalusia was the last Autonomous Community to allocate its new seat; it rebuilt its entire delegation after its 2008 regional elections. The distribution after the 2015 election was: The last election was held on 26 June 2016. The composition of the 12th Senate is: The Spanish parliamentary system is bicameral but asymmetric. The Congress of Deputies has more independent functions, and it can also override most Senate measures. Only the Congress can"
"2016 Spanish general election The 2016 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 26 June 2016, to elect the 12th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Senate. No party had secured a majority in the 2015 election, resulting in the most fragmented parliament since 1977. Ensuing negotiations failed to produce a stable governing coalition, paving the way for a repeat election on 26 June. The political deadlock marked the first time that a Spanish election was triggered due"
"Solemn Opening of the Parliament of Spain The Solemn Opening of the Parliament () of the Kingdom of Spain is an event which takes place approximately in the second week after the investiture of the President of the Government. For this celebration, all the Deputies and Senators that forms the Cortes Generales are summoned, as well as the Government. The event takes place in the Chamber of Congress of the Deputies of the Palace of the Cortes. It is carried out between large security measures, both inside and outside of the Palace of the Cortes. Firstly, the King arrives at"
"least ten years as of November 2007. One of the main themes of reform is to move towards a higher level of federalization and make the Senate a thorough representation of autonomous communities instead of the current system, which tries to incorporate the interests of province and autonomous communities at the same time. Cortes Generales The Cortes Generales (; ) are the bicameral legislative chambers of Spain, consisting of two chambers: the Congress of Deputies (the lower house) and the Senate (the upper house). The members of the Cortes are the representatives of the Spanish people. The Congress of Deputies"
"parliament. The building functioned as a hospital until 1972. After being abandoned for several years, in 1986 plans were drawn up to convert it to the seat of the parliament of the autonomous community of Andalusia. It was inaugurated 28 February 1992, the ""(Día de Andalucía)"", with restoration work still in progress. The restoration was completed in 2003, with the conclusion of the work on those courtyards and rooms not restored in the 1980s. Hospital de las Cinco Llagas The Hospital de las Cinco Llagas (literally ""Hospital of the Five Holy Wounds"") in Seville, Spain is the current seat of"
"elections are elections held for the national legislature, which is called in Spain Cortes Generales (Spanish for ""General Courts"") and consists of two chambers, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate. The Congress and Senate usually serve concurrent terms that run for a maximum of four years. However, the Prime Minister has the prerogative to dissolve both Houses at any given time either jointly or separately. The Congress is composed of 350 members directly elected by universal adult suffrage for a four-year term of office. Each one of Spain's fifty provinces is a constituency entitled to an initial minimum of"
"Lluís Puig (JuntsxCat), Carles Puigdemont (JuntsxCat) and Meritxell Serret (ERC–CatSí) - were in exile whilst another three - Joaquim Forn (JuntsxCat), Oriol Junqueras (ERC–CatSí) and Jordi Sànchez (JuntsxCat) - were in jail. The new parliament met for the first time on 17 January 2018 and elected Roger Torrent as President of the Parliament. Other members of Board of the Parliament were also elected on 17 January 2018: Josep Costa i Rosselló (First Vice-President); José María Espejo-Saavedra Conesa (Second Vice-President); Eusebi Campdepadrós i Pucurull (First Secretary); David Pérez i Ibáñez (Second Secretary); Joan García González (Third Secretary); and Alba Vergés (Fourth"
"2006, dissolving the Marbella city council when most of its members were found to have engaged in corrupt practices. On Friday, October 26, 2017, the Senate of Spain (Senado) voted 214 to 47 to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution over Catalonia. Article 155 powers gave Spanish Prime Minister Rajoy to remove secessionist politicians, including Mr. Puigdemont, the Catalan leader and direct rule from Madrid. Senate reform has been a topic of discussion since the early days of Spanish democracy. One proposal would advance the federalization of Spain by remaking the Senate to represent the autonomous communities of Spain."
"chamber with the support of the President of the Government. During their mandate, the deputies have some guarantees and privileges in order to carry their responsibilities out according to the Article 97 of the Spanish Constitution. Exercising the autonomy recognised by the Constitution to the Congress of Deputies, the chamber is regulated by some rules established by itself in 1982 and it configures different government bodies to carry the pertinent competencies out. The working bodies of the Congress of Deputies are the Plenary, the Commissions, the Permanent Council and the Parliamentary Groups. The Plenary is the central body of the"
"Basque Parliament The Basque Parliament (Basque: ""Eusko Legebiltzarra"", Spanish: ""Parlamento Vasco"") is the legislative body of the Basque Autonomous Community of Spain and the elected assembly to which the Basque Government is responsible. The Parliament meets in the Basque capital, Vitoria-Gasteiz, although the first session of the modern assembly, as constituted by the Statute of Autonomy of the Basque Country, was held in Guernica – the symbolic centre of Basque freedoms – on 31 March 1980. Later in 1980 it started meeting at the premises of the Alavese government. In 1982, it got its own site in a former high"
"the Parliament. In 1528, the ""Cortes"" of Navarre sitting at Pamplona authorised a simplified law code known as the ""Fuero Reducido"". Although widely used, it was never confirmed by the king. A viceroy represented the Spanish monarch. The ""Cortes"" (the Parliament) was the main legislative body, composed of three estates of clergy, nobles and burgesses. There was a Royal Council and a Supreme Court, as well as a ""Diputación del Reyno"" or Government of Navarre (similar to the ""Generalitat"" of Aragon and the ""Generalitat""s of Catalonia and Valencia). An Occitan translation of the Navarrese ""fueros"" was made under the title"
"convened Spanish parliament (Cádiz Cortes), with equal representation to mainland Iberian, Mediterranean (Balearic Islands) and Atlantic maritime Spanish provinces (Canary Islands). Ramón Power y Giralt, the first Spanish parliamentary representative from the island of Puerto Rico, died after serving a three-year term in the Cortes. These parliamentary and constitutional reforms were in force from 1810 to 1814, and again from 1820 to 1823. They were twice reversed during the restoration of the traditional monarchy by Ferdinand VII. Immigration and commercial trade reforms in the 19th century increased the island's ethnic European population and economy and expanded the Spanish cultural and"
"Generales is composed of 616 members: 350 Deputies and 266 Senators. The members of the Cortes Generales serve four-year terms, and they are representatives of the Spanish people. In both chambers, the seats are divided by constituencies that correspond with the fifty provinces of Spain, plus Ceuta and Melilla. However, the islands Canary and Balearic form different constituencies in the Senate. As a parliamentary system, the Cortes confirms and dismisses the Prime Minister of Spain and his or her government; specifically, the candidate for Prime Minister has to be invested by the Congress with a majority of affirmative votes. The"