The second government of Eugenio Montero Ríos was formed on 31 October 1905, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII on 28 October and his swearing-in three days later, as a result of his own resignation from the post on 27 October in order to trigger a cabinet reshuffle. It succeeded the first Montero government and was the government of Spain from 31 October to 1 December 1905, a total of days, or .
The cabinet comprised members of the Liberal–Democratic alliance, one independent and one military officer. It was disestablished in the wake of the ¡Cu-Cut! incident and was succeeded by the first Moret government.
Formation Overview The Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy during the Restoration period, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the power to appoint government members (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny the decree of dissolution of the , or the adjournment of legislative sessions, to the incumbent or aspiring government that requested it; and the capacity to inform, inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of royal decrees; among others..
The monarch would play a key role in the system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority. As a result, governments during this period were dependent on royal confidence, which was frequently secured or lost based on the leaders' ability to guarantee the internal unity and parliamentary cohesion of their parties.: "... according to the political practice of the Restoration, since voters did not determine majorities due to electoral manipulation, the requirement demanded of any leader to retain power was to guarantee the unity of the Party. []" In practice, the royal prerogative was not exercised freely by the monarch, but was carried out through the opening of a round of consultations—with the presidents of the chambers, the leaders of the main parties, the potential candidates and other notable figures—prior to government formation, or when prime ministers raised a matter of confidence to the monarch.
Cabinet crisis King Alfonso XIII held a round of consultations on 28 October 1905 to determine a solution to the political crisis arising from Montero Ríos's resignation.
ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party 28 October 1905 José López Domínguez President of the Senate Military Marquis of Vega de Armijo President of the Congress of Deputies Lib–Dem/Dem Segismundo Moret Leader of the Liberal Party (former) Lib–Dem/Lib Eugenio Montero Ríos Prime MinisterLeader of the Liberal Party Lib–Dem/Dem Nominations Outcome → Sources
The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to Eugenio Montero Ríos, who accepted the nomination.
Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.
← Montero Ríos II Government →(31 October – 1 December 1905) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister Eugenio Montero Ríos Lib–Dem/Dem 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of State Pío Gullón Lib–Dem/Dem 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of Grace and Justice Joaquín López Puigcerver Lib–Dem/Dem 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of WarMinister of the Navy Valeriano Weyler Military 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of Finance José Echegaray Independent 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of Governance Manuel García Prieto Lib–Dem/Dem 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Manuel de Eguilior Lib–Dem/Dem 31 October 1905 1 December 1905 Minister of Development Count of Romanones Lib–Dem/Lib 31 October 1905 1 December 1905
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External links The governments of the second period of the Liberal Party (1905–1907) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).