The prime minister of Spain is the head of government of Spain. There is no specific date as to when the office of Prime Minister first appeared as the role was not created, but rather evolved over a period of time through a merger of duties. Modern historians have not managed to agree who the first prime minister of Spain was, but Francisco Martínez de la Rosa was the first prime minister recognized by a constitutional law (the Spanish Royal Statute of 1834).
In contemporary Spain, the first Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Spain since the approval of the Constitution was Adolfo Suárez. Due to the gradual evolution of the post, the title has been applied to early prime ministers retroactively. The following list therefore includes those who have been referred to as various other titles since the creation of the Council of Ministers in 1823.
Since the reign of Philip V, prime ministers have received several names, such as First Secretary of State (until 1834), President of the Council of Ministers (1834–1868; 1874–1923; 1925–1939), President of the Executive Power (1874) or President of the Government (1973–present), among others. Between 1938 and 1973, the post of President of the Government was personally linked to the person serving as Head of State.
There is no specific date when the office of prime minister first appeared as the role was not created, but rather evolved over a period of time through merger of duties. The government was led by a Valido, a favourite of the Monarch or the ruling Regent. Since 1621, there was also a Secretary of State of the Universal Bureau (Secretario de Estado y del Despacho Universal), but this seems to have been rather a subordinate position.
Later, the reforms introduced by Phillip V in the 1710s established several secretaries of state for specific government areas, and the secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Secretario de Estado y del Despacho de Estado) was eventually known as the First Secretary of State due to its de facto role as primer minister. This position was consolidated with the establishment of the Council of Ministers in 1823 which the First Secretary of State chaired over in the king's absence, and in 1834 the First Secretary of State became known as President of the Council of Ministers.
| Picture | Name | From | Until | Monarch (Reign) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pedro Fernández del Campo y Salvatierra, Marquess of Mejorada | 1705 | 11 July 1705 | King Philip V (1700–1724) | |
| José de Grimaldo y Gutiérrez de Solórzano Marquess of Grimaldo (1st time) | 11 July 1705 | 15 April 1714 | ||
| Manuel de Vadillo y Velasco | 15 April 1714 | 30 November 1714 | ||
| José de Grimaldo y Gutiérrez de Solórzano Marquess of Grimaldo (2nd time) | 30 November 1714 | 14 January 1724 | ||
| Juan Bautista de Orendáin y Azpilicueta (1st time) | 14 January 1724 | 4 September 1724 | King Louis I (1724) | |
| José de Grimaldo y Gutiérrez de Solórzano Marquess of Grimaldo (3rd time) | 4 September 1724 | 12 December 1725 | King Philip V (1724–1746) | |
| Juan Guillermo Ripperdá Duke and Baron of Ripperdá | 12 December 1725 | 14 April 1726 | ||
| José de Grimaldo y Gutiérrez de Solórzano Marquess of Grimaldo (4th time) | 14 April 1726 | 1 October 1726 | ||
| Juan Bautista de Orendáin y Azpilicueta Marquess of la Paz (2nd time) | 1 October 1726 | 21 November 1734 |
| Picture | Name | From | Until | Monarch (Reign) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| José de Patiño y Rosales | 21 November 1734 | 3 November 1736 | King Philip V (1724–1746) | |
| Sebastián de la Cuadra y Llerena 1st Marquess of Villarías | 26 November 1736 | 4 December 1746 | ||
| José de Carvajal y Lancaster | 4 December 1746 | 9 April 1754 | King Ferdinand VI (1746–1759) | |
| Fernando de Silva Mendoza y Toledo Duke of Huéscar | 9 April 1754 | 15 May 1754 | ||
| Ricardo Wall y Devreux | 15 May 1754 | 10 August 1759 | ||
| 10 August 1759 | 9 October 1763 | King Charles III (1759–1788) | ||
| Pablo Jerónimo de Grimaldi y Pallavicini Duke of Grimaldi | 9 October 1763 | 19 February 1777 | ||
| José Moñino y Redondo Count of Floridablanca | 19 February 1777 | 14 December 1788 | ||
| 14 December 1788 | 28 February 1792 | King Charles IV (1788–1808) | ||
| Pedro Pablo Abarca de Bolea y Ximénez de Urrea Count of Aranda Acting First Secretary of State | 28 February 1792 | 15 November 1792 | ||
| Manuel de Godoy y Álvarez de Faria Duke of Alcudia | 15 November 1792 | 28 March 1798 | ||
| Francisco Saavedra de Sangronis Acting First Secretary of State until 6 September 1798 | 30 March 1798 | 21 February 1799 | ||
| Mariano Luis de Urquijo y Muga Acting First Secretary of State | 12 February 1799 | 13 December 1799 | ||
| Pedro Cevallos Guerra (1st time) | 13 December 1799 | 3 March 1808 | ||
| Gonzalo O'Farrill y Herrera Acting First Secretary of State | 3 March 1808 | 19 March 1808 | ||
| Pedro Cevallos Guerra (2nd time) | 19 March 1808 | 7 July 1808 | King Ferdinand VII (1808) | |
| Mariano Luis de Urquijo y Muga (2nd time) | 7 July 1808 | 27 June 1813 | King Joseph I (1808–1813) | |
| Juan O'Donojú O'Ryan Acting First Secretary of State | 10 October 1813 | 17 October 1813 | ||
| Fernando de Laserna Acting First Secretary of State | 17 October 1813 | 3 December 1813 | ||
| José Luyando Acting First Secretary of State | 3 December 1813 | 4 May 1814 | King Ferdinand VII (1813–1833) | |
| José Miguel de Carvajal-Vargas y Manrique de Lara Duke of San Carlos | 4 May 1814 | 15 November 1814 | ||
| Pedro Cevallos Guerra (3rd time) | 15 November 1814 | 24 January 1816 | ||
| Juan Esteban Lozano de Torres | 24 January 1816 | 26 January 1816 | ||
| Pedro Cevallos Guerra (4th time) | 26 January 1816 | 30 October 1816 | ||
| José García de León y Pizarro | 30 October 1816 | 14 September 1818 | ||
| Carlos Martínez de Irujo y Tacón Marquess of Casa Irujo Acting First Secretary of State | 14 September 1818 | 12 June 1819 | ||
| Manuel González Salmón y Gómez de Torres Acting First Secretary of State | 12 June 1819 | 12 September 1819 | ||
| Joaquín José Melgarejo y Saurín Duke of San Fernando de Quiroga | 12 September 1819 | 18 March 1820 | ||
| Juan Jabat Aztal Acting First Secretary of State | 18 March 1820 | |||
| Evaristo Pérez de Castro y Brito | 18 March 1820 | 2 March 1821 | ||
| Joaquín Anduaga Cuenca Acting First Secretary of State | 2 March 1821 | 23 April 1821 | ||
| Francisco de Paula Escudero Acting First Secretary of State | 23 April 1821 | |||
| Eusebio Bardají y Azara | 23 April 1821 | 8 January 1822 | ||
| Ramón López Pelegrín Acting First Secretary of State | 8 January 1822 | 24 January 1822 | ||
| José Gabriel de Silva y Bazán Marquess of Santa Cruz | 24 January 1822 | 30 January 1822 | ||
| Ramón López Pelegrín Acting First Secretary of State | 30 January 1822 | 28 February 1822 | ||
| Francisco Martínez de la Rosa | 28 February 1822 | 5 August 1822 | ||
| Evaristo Fernández San Miguel y Valledor Acting First Secretary of State from 28 February 1822 | 5 August 1822 | 25 April 1823 | ||
| José Manuel Vadillo Acting First Secretary of State | 25 April 1823 | 7 May 1823 | ||
| Santiago Usoz y Mozi Acting First Secretary of State | 7 May 1823 | 13 May 1823 | ||
| José María Pando de la Riva y Ramírez de Laredo | 13 May 1823 | 29 August 1823 | ||
| Luis María de Salazar y Salazar Acting First Secretary of State | 29 August 1823 | 4 September 1823 | ||
| Juan Antonio Yandiola Garay Acting First Secretary of State | 4 September 1823 | 6 September 1823 | ||
| José Luyando (2nd time) | 6 September 1823 | 1 October 1823 | ||
| Víctor Damián Sáez y Sánchez-Mayor Acting First Secretary of State until 7 August 1823 (counter-government until 1 October 1823.) | 25 April 1823 | 19 November 1823 | ||
Governments:
Governments:
Governments:
Governments:
Governments:
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | Government | Election | Head of State | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Francisco Franco | 1938 | 1939 | National Movement | Franco I | Francisco Franco | [292] [293] [294] [295] | ||||
1939 | 1945 | Franco II | ||||||||
1945 | 1951 | Franco III | ||||||||
1951 | 1957 | Franco IV | ||||||||
1957 | 1962 | Franco V | ||||||||
1962 | 1965 | Franco VI | ||||||||
1965 | 1969 | Franco VII | ||||||||
1969 | 1973 | Franco VIII | ||||||||
Luis Carrero Blanco | 1973 | 1973 | Carrero Blanco | [296] [297] | ||||||
| Carlos Arias Navarro | 1973 | 1975 | National Movement | Arias Navarro I | [298] [299] | |||||
Governments:
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | Government | Election | Monarch | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Arias Navarro | 1975 | 1976 | National Movement | Arias Navarro II | Juan Carlos I | [300] | ||||
| Adolfo Suárez | 1976 | 1977 | National Movement | Suárez I | [301] [302] [303] [304] [305] | |||||
1977 | 1979 | UCD | Suárez II | 1977 | ||||||
1979 | 1981 | Suárez III | 1979 | |||||||
| Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo | 1981 | 1982 | Calvo-Sotelo | [306] [307] | ||||||
| Felipe González | 1982 | 1986 | PSOE | González I | 1982 | [308] [309] [310] [311] [312] | ||||
1986 | 1989 | González II | 1986 | |||||||
1989 | 1993 | González III | 1989 | |||||||
1993 | 1996 | González IV | 1993 | |||||||
| José María Aznar | 1996 | 2000 | PP | Aznar I | 1996 | [313] [314] [315] | ||||
2000 | 2004 | Aznar II | 2000 | |||||||
| José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | 2004 | 2008 | PSOE | Zapatero I | 2004 | [316] [317] [318] | ||||
2008 | 2011 | Zapatero II | 2008 | |||||||
| Mariano Rajoy | 2011 | 2016 | PP | Rajoy I | 2011 | [319] [320] [321] [322] | ||||
Felipe VI | ||||||||||
| 2015 | ||||||||||
2016 | 2018 | Rajoy II | 2016 | |||||||
| Pedro Sánchez | 2018 | 2020 | PSOE | Sánchez I | [323] [324] [325] | |||||
| 2019 | ||||||||||
2020 | 2023 | Sánchez II | 2019 | |||||||
2023 | Incumbent | Sánchez III | 2023 | |||||||