A referendum on the new constitution or organic law was held in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

on 14 December 1966, with all Spaniards over age 21 being allowed to participate. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Organic Law of the State Bill?" ( es, ¿Aprueba el Proyecto de Ley Orgánica del Estado?). It was approved by 98.1% of valid votes on a turnout of 88.8%. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1823 The Organic Law took effect as of January 1, 1967, and remained in place until the

Spanish Constitution of 1978 The Spanish Constitution (Spanish, Asturleonese, and gl, Constitución Española; eu, Espainiako Konstituzioa; ca, Constitució Espanyola; oc, Constitucion espanhòla) is the democratic law that is supreme in the Kingdom of Spain. It was e ...

was enacted by a referendum the same year, following Franco's death and the resumption of parliamentary government through a fully and directly elected assembly.

The law

The new constitution, the

Organic Law of the State The Organic Law of the State ( es, Ley Orgánica del Estado) (Law 1/1967, of 11 January, for the Organic Law of the State)

( es, Ley Orgánica del Estado), stipulated a slight restraint on General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

autocratic Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...

powers as the

Head of State A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 " he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and l ...

, limiting such powers to the formulation of general state policy, representing Spain in foreign relations as well as to ratifying treaties and exercising supreme command of the

Armed Forces A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

and serving as the head of the

Movimiento Nacional ''Movimiento Nacional'' ( en, National Movement) was a governing institution of Spain established by General Francisco Franco during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. During Francoist rule in Spain, it purported to be the only channel of participa ...

the coalition of political, economic and military sectors supporting the dictatorship. The proposed Organic Law also designated an office of "

Chief of Government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gr ...

" that would manage the day-to-day operations of the government and be responsible to the Cortes for a government program alongside the Government, as well as carrying out the general policy of the State formulated by the Head of State. Such an office would be separate and independent from that of Head of Statein practice, both would be held concurrently by Franco himself until 1973serving terms of five years, nominated by the Council of the Realm and approved by the Head of State. After a Law of Succession was approved in a 1947 referendum, the Headship of State would be replaced by that of

King of Spain , coatofarms = File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Spanish_Monarch.svg , coatofarms_article = Coat of arms of the King of Spain , image = Felipe_VI_in_2020_(cropped).jpg , incumbent = Felipe VI , incumbentsince = 19 Ju ...

with the same authorities and functions after Franco's death. The choice of heir belonged to the Head of State alone, to be confirmed in the

Cortes Españolas The Cortes Españolas ( en, Spanish Courts), known informally as the Cortes franquistas ( en, Francoist Courts), was the name of the legislative institution promulgated by the ''Caudillo'' of Spain Francisco Franco which was established on 17 J ...

by a two-thirds majority and subsequently passed on through inheritance. The Organic Law also included that the

Council of the Realm The Council of the Realm ( es, Consejo del Reino) was a corporate organ of Francoist Spain, created by the Law of Succession to the Headship of the State of 1947. Within the institutional complex created to hierarchize the regime of Francisco Fran ...

be reduced from 17 members to 13 (ten elected by the Cortes, seven appointed by the Chief of State), and the Cortes from 611 deputies to 403 (108 directly-elected, 25 appointed by the Head of State, with the rest elected by corporate bodies), and confirmed

freedom of religion Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

for

Spanish Jews Spanish and Portuguese Jews, also called Western Sephardim, Iberian Jews, or Peninsular Jews, are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardic Jews who are largely descended from Jews who lived as New Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the ...

and

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

. The Cortes was also given greater legislative powers by the Law.

Results

References

{{Spanish elections 1966 referendums 1966 in Spain Referendums in Spain Francoist Spain

The law

Results

See also

References