ABSTRACT
This chapter examines politicisation of the civil service after two government changes in Spain that involved alternation of political parties: 1982 and 1996.1 In 1982, the socialist party (PSOE, Partido Socialista Obrero Español) entered government with an absolute majority after having been out of executive power for decades during Franco’s dictatorship (1939-75). In 1996, the entry of the conservative party (PP, Partido Popular) meant the stabilisation of Spain’s young democratic system. The first PP government replaced the PSOE government that had ruled the country from 1982 to 1996. The replacement of the Spanish politicaladministrative elite was quite substantial during the first PSOE government in 1982 (76.1 per cent of 231 posts eligible for political appointment at the rank of general director or higher; see below) and almost radical in 1996 (89.2 per cent of 270 similar posts).2 The nature of the political system must be taken into account when considering these changes. While the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy and Germany are all coalition governments, Spain, like Greece and Britain, has a democratic parliamentary regime with majoritarian principles. With few exceptions executive power is concentrated in periodically elected, single-party, majoritarian governments. Likewise, the national party system is quite polarised between the two parties, and although around five to seven parties gain parliamentary seats in elections, the two principal parties, the PSOE and the PP, together represent more than three-quarters of the electorate.
