The inhabitants of that lost town of Albacete said to their mayor “We are all contingents, but you are necessary!” . With what intelligence and humor José Luis Cuerda defined one of the most basic principles of Spanish politics, which is not unmarried (although also). Politicians are those characters who are exposed under the incisive light of the spotlight to, at least in theory, direct and organize a country in order for it to progress and improve. Precisely because the future of many depends on them, they are usually looked at with a magnifying glass and a higher level of commitment and responsibility is demanded of them than any other. A politician must have been, be and continue to be responsible, upright and neat; when it is not, the moment of resignation usually comes.
Forgetting Alfonso XIII’s own party shift system or the coming and going of the different families that Franco organized at will during the dictatorship , democracy brought a series of changes that revolutionized Spanish politics. But no government is perfect, since it is made up of people. The history of democracy has resulted in 31 resignations of ministers who left office. Although the reasons changed according to each case and we have seen the most varied reasons, the most recurrent are always three: discrepancies with other members or with government decisions, withdrawal to hold another position in politics and, more frequently in recent years , due to corruption scandals and other irregularities.
The prime minister who resigned was Gabriel Pita da Veiga in 1977 . This Adolfo Suárez minister refused to legalize the Spanish Communist Party (PCE), an element that many considered essential to carry out a real political transition towards a democratic system. A total of three ministers resigned with Suárez and another two during Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo’s short term, highlighting in his case Francisco Fernández Ordóñez (1982) who resigned to protest against cases of police torture.
The longest period that has elapsed without the resignation of a minister was six years, during the government of Felipe González . Between 1985 and 1991 only the Minister of the Economy Miguel Boyer (in 1985) and the Vice President Alfonso Guerra (in 1991) resigned. González’s socialist government lasted until 1996 and the resignation of a total of nine ministers was claimed, with the case of Antoni Asunción and the GAL scandal standing out. The next two governments, that of José María Aznar and that of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, each had four resignations of their ministers .
During the time that Mariano Rajoy was Prime Minister there were a total of six resignations of ministers : Miguel Arias Cañete, Alberto Ruíz Gallardón, Ana Mato, José Ignacio Wert, José Manuel Soria and Luis de Guindos. Among these cases stands out that of José Manuel Soria as Minister of Industry, which would not be a resignation to use but a resignation in office; since he was dismissed from his position since 2015 due to his involvement in tax fraud situations.
The last fallen belong to the socialist government of Pedro Sánchez . Màxim Huerta, Minister of Culture, resigned due to an old debt with the Treasury that he had already paid . On the other hand, Carmen Montón had to resign as Minister of Health due to a scandal about the favorable treatment when obtaining a master’s degree at a public university.
