The first government of Álvaro de Figueroa, Count of Romanones, was formed on 14 November 1912, 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 José Canalejas's assassination on 12 November. It succeeded the third Canalejas government and was the government of Spain from 14 November 1912 to 31 December 1912, a total of days, or .
The cabinet, which except for the prime minister was the same as the last one under Canalejas, comprised members of the Liberal Party and two military officers.
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 Prime Minister José Canalejas was assassinated in Puerta del Sol by anarchist Manuel Pardiñas on 12 November 1912. As a result, King Alfonso XIII temporarily entrusted Minister of State, the Marquis of Alhucemas, to serve the duties of the prime minister's office in an interim capacity, while immediately opening a round of consultations with the two main parties in order to provide for a more permanent solution to fill the power vacuum left by Canalejas's death.
ConsultationsKing of Spain Date Consultee Office/position Party 12 November 1912 Council of Ministers Ministers Liberal Count of Romanones President of the Congress of Deputies Liberal Eugenio Montero Ríos President of the SenatePrime Minister (former) Liberal Segismundo Moret Prime Minister (former)Leader of the Liberal Party (former) Liberal Antonio Maura Leader of the Conservative PartyPrime Minister (former) Conservative Marcelo Azcárraga Prime Minister (former)President of the Senate (former) Conservative Eduardo Dato President of the Congress of Deputies (former) Conservative 2nd Marquis of Pidal President of the Senate (former) Conservative Alejandro Pidal y Mon President of the Congress of Deputies (former) Conservative 13 November 1912 Segismundo Moret Prime Minister (former)Leader of the Liberal Party (former) Liberal Eugenio Montero Ríos President of the SenatePrime Minister (former) Liberal 14 November 1912 Marquis of Alhucemas Prime Minister (acting) Liberal Count of Romanones President of the Congress of Deputies Liberal Nominations Outcome → Sources
The first round of consultations (held on the same day of the assassination) saw both Conservative and Liberal leaders, as well as the Council of Ministers, recommending Alfonso XIII a continuation of the incumbent Liberal cabinet under a prime minister from outside the government, for—at least—as long as a new budget for 1913 could be approved and the recently negotiated Treaty between France and Spain regarding Morocco could be signed. The King, allegedly, had offered both Segismundo Moret and Eugenio Montero Ríos to head a cabinet the next day, but both had declined the offer. New consultations on 14 November with both the Marquis of Alhucemas and the Count of Romanones led to the latter being tasked to resolve outstanding issues, heading a transitional government that comprised the ministers of the previous cabinet under Canalejas.
Council of Ministers The Council of Ministers was structured into the office for the prime minister and eight ministries.
← Romanones I Government →(14 November 1912 – 31 December 1912) Portfolio Name Party Took office Left office Prime Minister Count of Romanones Liberal 14 November 1912 31 December 1912 Minister of State Marquis of Alhucemas Liberal 3 April 1911 31 December 1912 Minister of Grace and Justice Diego Arias de Miranda Liberal 12 March 1912 31 December 1912 Minister of War Agustín de Luque Military 3 April 1911 31 December 1912 Minister of the Navy José Pidal Rebollo Military 3 April 1911 31 December 1912 Minister of Finance Juan Navarro Reverter Liberal 12 March 1912 31 December 1912 Minister of Governance Antonio Barroso y Castillo Liberal 29 June 1911 31 December 1912 Minister of Public Instruction and Fine Arts Santiago Alba Liberal 12 March 1912 31 December 1912 Minister of Development Miguel Villanueva Liberal 12 March 1912 31 December 1912
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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).