Who is the Prime Minister of Spain?

Updated November 9, 2026 · General election: November 29, 2026 · Versión en español

The Prime Minister of Spain is Pedro Sánchez, of the Socialist Party (PSOE), in office since June 2, 2018. Spain does not have a president in the usual sense: the head of government is formally called the "President of the Government" (Presidente del Gobierno) and is commonly translated as Prime Minister, while King Felipe VI is the head of state. Parliament was dissolved on October 6, 2026 and a general election is held on November 29, 2026, so Sánchez stays in office until the new Congress elects a successor or reinstates him.

1. Prime Minister, president and king: who is who

• Prime Minister (head of government): Pedro Sánchez. Officially the "President of the Government"; he leads the executive from the Moncloa Palace in Madrid. This is who people usually mean by "the president of Spain".
• Head of state: King Felipe VI. Spain is a parliamentary monarchy: the King represents the state but does not govern.
• President of the Congress of Deputies: presides over the lower house and schedules the investiture debate. This is a different post.

2. How the Prime Minister is chosen and how long the term lasts

Voters do not elect the Prime Minister directly. After a general election, the King consults the parties and proposes a candidate, who must win an investiture vote in the Congress of Deputies (Article 99 of the Constitution):

1. The candidate needs an absolute majority (176 of 350 votes) in the first vote.
2. If that fails, a second vote is held 48 hours later and a simple majority (more votes in favour than against) is enough.
3. If no candidate wins the Congress's confidence within two months of the first vote, the King dissolves Parliament and calls a new election.

A legislature lasts at most four years and the Constitution sets no term limit, so a Prime Minister can serve as long as the Congress keeps its confidence. It can be withdrawn through a constructive vote of no confidence, which needs an absolute majority and an alternative candidate (Article 113).

3. What the Prime Minister does

Under Article 98, the Government directs domestic and foreign policy, the civil and military administration and the defence of the State. The Prime Minister leads and coordinates the Government, proposes the appointment and dismissal of ministers to the King, and can propose the dissolution of Parliament (Article 115), as happened in October 2026. Official residence and workplace: La Moncloa.

4. What happens now: the general election of November 29, 2026

The election was announced on October 5, 2026 and Parliament was dissolved on October 6, 2026. The Government remains in office; after the election it becomes a caretaker government until the new one takes office (Article 101).

5. Who could be Prime Minister after the election

Candidates of the main parties, as announced in our data (voters choose party lists, not individuals):

The decisive number is 176 seats. Projecting the current poll average onto the 2023 results, we estimate about 134 seats for the PP, 106 for the PSOE and 68 for Vox; the PP and Vox together would reach 176 in 7 of 7 recent polls, and the bloc that backed the 2023 investiture in 0 of 7. This is an indicative exercise, not a forecast: method and range (in Spanish).

6. The Spanish Parliament

Parliament is called the Cortes Generales and has two chambers: the Congress of Deputies (350 members, who elect the Prime Minister) and the Senate (209 directly elected senators plus 58 appointed by regional parliaments). Congress seats are allocated across 52 constituencies using the D'Hondt rule.

7. Prime Ministers of Spain since 1977

Sources: La Moncloa, Wikipedia, Spanish Constitution, 29neleccionesgenerales.es (Ministry of the Interior).

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