President of the Constitutional Court (Spain) explained

Post:President of the
Constitutional Court
Insignia:Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
Insigniasize:100px
Insigniacaption:Coat of Arms of Spain
Incumbent:Cándido Conde-Pumpido
Incumbentsince:January 12, 2023
Member Of:Constitutional Court
Seat:Constitutional Court Headquarters, Madrid,
Nominator:Plenary Court
Appointer:Monarch
Termlength:3 years, 2 terms limit
Constituting Instrument:Constitution of 1978
Formation:July 12, 1980
First:Manuel García Pelayo[1]
Abbreviation:PTC
Deputy:Vice President of the Constitutional Court
Salary:167,169 per year[2]
Website:tribunalconstitucional.es

The president of the Constitutional Court (Spanish; Castilian: Presidente del Tribunal Constitucional) of Spain is the head of the Constitutional Court, the highest body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts of the Spanish central and regional governments. It is defined in Part IX (i.e. section 160) of the Constitution of Spain, and further governed by Organic Laws 2/1979 (a.k.a. Law of the Constitutional Court of October 3, 1979).[3] The court is the "supreme interpreter"[4] of the Constitution, but since the court is not a part of the Spanish Judiciary,[4] the Supreme Court is the highest court for all judicial matters.[5]

The president, as the highest authority of the Court, exercises its representation and presides over the Plenary, as well as presides over the First Chamber. The president is appointed by the Monarch at the proposal of the rest of the Court's magistrates, who elect him or her by majority and for a three-year term with the possibility of a single reelection. In cases of vacancy, absence or other legal reason, he is substituted by the vice president, who presides over the Second Chamber.

The Presidency of the Constitutional Court, created by the 1978 Constitution and effective since 1980, has as its direct predecessor the Presidency of the Constitutional Guarantees Court, a body similar to the Constitutional Court and which had Álvaro de Albornoz as president between 1933[6] and 1934, Fernando Gasset between 1934[7] and 1936 and Pedro Vargas Guerendiain as acting president from 1936 until the end of the Spanish Civil War.

The current and 12th president of Court is Cándido Conde-Pumpido since January 2023.[8] [9]

Functions

The President of the Constitutional Court, in accordance with the Constitutional Court Act of 1979:[10]

Election

The Plenary of the Court elects from its members, by secret ballot, its President for a period of three years and proposes its appointment to the King.

For its election is required to reach in the first ballot the absolute majority; if this majority is not reached, it will be elected in the second ballot that obtains the greatest number of votes; In the event of a tie, a final vote shall be taken and if it is repeated, the senior magistrate shall be proposed for the office of President and, in the case of equal seniority, the oldest candidate bye age.

If the three-year term for which he was appointed did not coincide with the renewal of the Constitutional Court, that term of office shall be extended to end at the time the renewal occurs and the new judges take office.

Oath

The President and other Judges of the Constitutional Court shall, upon assuming office before the King, give the following oath or promise:[10]

List of presidents of the Court

Since its creation, 10 people have served as president of the Constitutional Court. The first president was Manuel García Pelayo who served from 1980 to 1986. The shortest presidency was that of Pascual Sala who served 2 years and 140 days from 2011 to 2013, while the longest was that of María Emilia Casas who served 6 years and 208 days from 2004 to 2011. She was also the first and only woman to hold the office.

President[11] TenureTenure lengthNominated byMonarch
1Manuel García Pelayo
(1909–1991)
February 21, 1986SenateJuan Carlos I
2Francisco Tomás y Valiente
(1932–1996)
July 8, 1992Congress of Deputies
3Miguel Rodríguez-Piñero y Bravo-Ferrer
(1935–)
April 8, 1995Government
4Álvaro Rodríguez Bereijo
(1938–)
December 17, 1998Senate
5Pedro Cruz Villalón
(1946–)
–November 8, 2001Congress of Deputies
6Manuel Jiménez de Parga
(1929–2014)
June 9, 2004Government
7María Emilia Casas
(1950–)
January 12, 2011Senate
8Pascual Sala
(1935–)
June 13, 2013General Council of the Judiciary
9Francisco Pérez de los Cobos
(1962–)
March 15, 2017Senate
10Juan José González Rivas
(1951–)
November 18, 2021Congress of Deputies
Felipe VI
11Pedro González-Trevijano
(1958–)
January 9, 2023Government
12Cándido Conde-Pumpido
(1949–)
presentSenate

See also

Notes and References

  1. https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/1980/07/07/pdfs/A15501-15501.pdf Real Decreto 1322/1980, de 4 de julio, por el que se nombra Presidente del Tribunal Constitucional a don Manuel García-Pelayo y Alonso
  2. Web site: Hidalgo . Emilio Sánchez . 2022-10-06 . Así son los sueldos de los altos cargos: 167.000 euros para el presidente del Constitucional y 90.000 para el del Gobierno . 2022-12-31 . El País . es.
  3. Book: Newton, Michael T. . Peter J. Donaghy . Institutions of modern Spain : a political and economic guide. . 1997 . 0-521-57348-3.
  4. Olga Cabrero. A Guide to the Spanish Legal System. dead. Law Library Resource Xchange, LLC.. https://web.archive.org/web/20061214152013/http://www.llrx.com/features/spain.htm. 2006-12-14.
  5. § 123, clause 1, Spanish Constitution of 1978
  6. Web site: Office of the Prime Minister. Prime Minister's Office (Spain). 22 July 1933. Decreto nombrando Presidente del Tribunal de Garantías Constitucionales a don Álvaro de Albornoz y Liminiana. 15 September 2020. www.boe.es.
  7. Web site: Office of the Prime Minister. Prime Minister's Office (Spain). 28 December 1934. Decreto nombrando Presidente del Tribunal de Garantías Constitucionales a don Fernando Gasset Lacasaña. 15 September 2020. www.boe.es.
  8. Web site: Brunet . José María . 2023-01-11 . Cándido Conde-Pumpido, elegido presidente del Tribunal Constitucional . 2023-01-11 . El País . es.
  9. Web site: 2023-01-12 . Conde-Pumpido y Montalbán toman posesión como presidente y vicepresidenta del Tribunal Constitucional . 2023-01-12 . Europa Press.
  10. https://www.boe.es/buscar/act.php?id=BOE-A-1979-23709 Ley Orgánica 2/1979, de 3 de octubre, del Tribunal Constitucional.