The second government of Antonio Maura, was formed on 25 January 1907, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by King Alfonso XIII and his swearing-in that same day, as a result of the Marquis of Vega de Armijo's resignation from the post on 24 January. It succeeded the Vega de Armijo government and was the government of Spain from 25 January 1907 to 21 October 1909, a total of days, or .

The cabinet comprised members of the Conservative Party and two military officers. It came to be known as the "Long Government" (), due the length of its tenure when compared to that of previous cabinets: thirteen governments had succeeded each other in the five years since the coming of age of Alfonso XIII on 17 May 1902. It resigned following the political crisis resulting from the Tragic Week and Francisco Ferrer's execution.

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 24–25 January 1907 to determine a solution to the political crisis arising from Vega de Armijo's resignation.

ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party 24 January 1907 Eugenio Montero Ríos President of the SenatePrime Minister (former) Lib–Dem/Dem José Canalejas President of the Congress of Deputies Lib–Dem/Dem Segismundo Moret Prime Minister (former) Lib–Dem/Lib José López Domínguez Prime Minister (former)President of the Senate (former) Military Antonio Maura Leader of the Conservative PartyPrime Minister (former) Conservative Marcelo Azcárraga Prime Minister (former)President of the Senate (former) Military Alejandro Pidal y Mon President of the Congress of Deputies (former) Conservative 2nd Marquis of Pidal President of the Senate (former) Conservative Count of Tejada de Valdeosera President of the Senate (former) Conservative Marquis of Vega de Armijo Prime MinisterLeader of the Liberal Party Lib–Dem/Dem 25 January 1907 Antonio Maura Leader of the Conservative PartyPrime Minister (former) Conservative Nominations Outcome → Sources

The outcome of the consultations led Alfonso XIII to entrust the formation of a new government to the Marquis of Vega de Armijo, who declined the nomination due to the internal divisions within the Liberal Party; then to Antonio Maura, who accepted the nomination.

Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.

← Maura II Government →(25 January 1907 – 21 October 1909) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister Antonio Maura Conservative 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of State Manuel Allendesalazar Conservative 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of Grace and Justice Juan Armada y Losada Conservative 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of War Francisco Loño Military 25 January 1907 30 June 1907† Minister of the Navy José Ferrándiz y Niño Military 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of Finance Guillermo de Osma y Scull Conservative 25 January 1907 23 February 1908 Minister of Governance Juan de la Cierva Conservative 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Faustino Rodríguez-San Pedro Conservative 25 January 1907 21 October 1909 Minister of Development Augusto González Besada Conservative 25 January 1907 14 September 1908 Changes June 1907 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of War Changes July 1907 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of War Fernando Primo de Rivera Military 3 July 1907 1 March 1909 Changes February 1908 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of Finance Cayetano Sánchez Bustillo Conservative 23 February 1908 14 September 1908 Changes September 1908 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of Finance Augusto González Besada Conservative 14 September 1908 21 October 1909 Minister of Development José Sánchez-Guerra Conservative 14 September 1908 21 October 1909 Changes March 1909 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of War Arsenio Linares Pombo Military 1 March 1909 21 October 1909

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References

Bibliography

External links The governments of the second period of the Conservative Party (1907–1909) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).