12th Congress of Deputies


The 12th Congress of Deputies was a meeting of the 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 and was dissolved prematurely on 5 March 2019.

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 short of a majority.

History

The new congress met for the first time on 19 July 2016 and after two rounds of voting Ana Pastor was elected as President of the Congress of Deputies with the support of the Cs.
Other members of the Bureau of the Congress of Deputies were also elected on 19 July 2016: Ignacio Prendes, First Vice-President; Micaela Navarro, Second Vice-President; Rosa Romero, Third Vice-President; Gloria Elizo, Fourth Vice-President; Alicia Sánchez-Camacho, First Secretary; Juan Luis Gordo, Second Secretary; Marcelo Expósito, Third Secretary; and Patricia Reyes, Fourth Secretary.
After a protracted government formation and four rounds of voting, Mariano Rajoy was re-elected Prime Minister with the support of the Cs on 29 October 2016 after the PSOE leadership chose to abstain.
In June 2017, following a series of corruption scandals involving the PP, Podemos submitted a motion of no confidence in Rajoy's government but on 14 June 2017 Congress rejected the motion after the PSOE leadership chose to abstain again.
In May 2018, following another corruption scandal involving the PP, PSOE submitted a motion of no confidence in Rajoy's government and on 1 June 2018 Congress approved the motion after Podemos and various separatist, nationalist and regionalist parties chose to support the motion. As a result of the vote PSOE leader Pedro Sánchez became Prime Minister.
After the PSOE government refused to discuss right to self-determination for Catalonia, Catalan separatists joined the PP and Cs in voting down the 2019 General State Budget on 13 February 2019. On 15 February 2019 Prime Minister Sánchez announced that a snap election would be held on 28 April 2019. The 12th Cortes Generales was formally dissolved on 5 March 2019.

Deaths, disqualifications and resignations

The 12th congress saw the following deaths, disqualifications and resignations: