The first government of José Canalejas was formed on 9 February 1910, 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 Segismundo Moret's dismissal from the post on 9 February over party discontent with the latter's alliance strategy with republican parties. It succeeded the third Moret government and was the government of Spain from 9 February 1910 to 2 January 1911, a total of days, or .
The cabinet comprised members of the Monarchist Democratic Party—which merged into the Liberal Party on 10 June 1910, with Canalejas becoming its leader on 20 July—and one military officer. It resigned on 1 January 1911 as a consequence of Canalejas's decision to raise a matter of confidence to the King and seek a cabinet reshuffle, following what he saw as the fulfillment of the first stage of his premiership, serving until the next government was sworn in.
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 Ever since his appointment as prime minister on 21 October 1909, Liberal leader Segismundo Moret had been under continuous public scrutiny over his alleged attempts to establish an electoral alliance with republican parties ahead of the next general election. Discontent within the Liberal Party grew amid fears that any prospective personalist majority centered around Moret could lead to a repetition of the 1905–1907 Liberal period in power, in which internal struggles made political and legislative activity impossible following the downfall of Eugenio Montero Ríos. During a meeting of the Council of Ministers on 3 February 1910, King Alfonso XIII warned against any breakdown of party discipline:
On 8 February, the Count of Romanones resigned as Liberal leader in the province of Madrid over disagreements with a Moret-sponsored local pact with republican parties in the capital's city council. The public backlash resulting from this episode and the existing divisions within the Liberal Party persuaded the King to deny Moret the signature of the dissolution decree on the next day, blocking the latter from organizing a general election and prompting him to raise a matter of confidence, triggering a cabinet crisis.
ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party 9 February 1910 Eugenio Montero Ríos Prime Minister (former)President of the Senate (former) Liberal José López Domínguez Prime Minister (former)President of the Senate (former) Military José Canalejas Leader of the Monarchist Democratic PartyPresident of the Congress of Deputies (former) Democratic Segismundo Moret Prime MinisterLeader of the Liberal Party Liberal Nominations Outcome → Sources
Consultations were immediately initiated by Alfonso XIII, who summoned Montero Ríos, José López Domínguez and José Canalejas, with the outcome being the de facto dismissal of Moret and Canalejas's nomination to replace him as prime minister. A new cabinet was formed and sworn in on the same day, mostly comprising members of Canalejas's own party (the Monarchist Democratic Party) and one military officer.
Cabinet changes Canalejas's first government saw a number of cabinet changes during its tenure: Julio Burell was appointed to succeed the Count of Romanones as minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts on 9 June 1910, upon the latter's nomination as candidate for president of the Congress of Deputies. Romanones would be successfully elected to that post on 16 June, with 252 votes in favour. On 10 June 1910, after the general election was held, the Monarchist Democratic Party was merged into the Liberal Party, with Canalejas formally becoming the latter's leader on 20 July.
Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.
← Canalejas I Government →(9 February 1910 – 2 January 1911) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister José Canalejas Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of State Manuel García Prieto Democratic 10 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of Grace and Justice Trinitario Ruiz Valarino Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of War Ángel Aznar y Butigieg Military 10 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of the Navy Diego Arias de Miranda Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of Finance Eduardo Cobián Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of Governance Fernando Merino Villarino Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Count of Romanones Democratic 9 February 1910 9 June 1910 Minister of Development Fermín Calbetón Democratic 9 February 1910 2 January 1911 Changes June 1910 Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Julio Burell Democratic 9 June 1910 2 January 1911
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External links The governments of the third period of the Liberal Party (1909–1913) (under Alfonso XIII). Lluís Belenes i Rodríguez History Page (in Spanish).