Empire Rising: Spain

Chapter 181: Chapter 143: Annual Work Report

Time continues to pass, and as 1872 becomes the past, 1873 officially begins.

For the Spanish Government, 1872 was a year of continuous progress. The government issued several decrees this year to continue advancing reforms throughout Spain, and the completion of the Seville Industrial Base significantly boosted Spain’s industrial growth.

Along with the achievements in various constructions, Spain began transitioning from a traditional agricultural nation to an industrial one, striving toward becoming a developed European country.

As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Spain’s reforms and the building of its industrial economy cannot be completed in a short time, and surpassing England and France, this so-called slogan is not something that can be achieved in the 19th century.

For the Spanish Government and officials at all levels, the most crucial task at present is to adhere to the Five-Year Development Plan Act issued by the Spanish Government, effectively enhancing the growth of Spain’s industry and various sectors to promote national progress.

As per the usual practice, Carlo attended the large-scale parliamentary meeting at the end of the year, listening with many legislators to the 1872 annual government work report submitted to the parliament by the Spanish Cabinet Government.

Speaking of which, submitting an annual government work report to the parliament every year was proposed by Prime Minister Prim. Its purpose is not only to explain to the legislators the contributions and efforts of the Spanish Cabinet Government over the past year but also to use this opportunity to inform the people of Spain that the government is indeed doing tangible things for the country and all the people, rather than doing nothing.

Due to this purpose, the annual government work report meetings are very important. Each department summarizes its achievements over the past year into clear and concise reports so that all legislators and citizens can understand.

If any government department fails to present an impressive report at the annual work report meeting, it indirectly proves that the department’s work over the year has not been satisfactory.

Because of this, each department takes the annual work report meetings very seriously, as it is indeed related to their interests.

Do not forget, the Spanish Parliament holds the power to impeach officials. Whether it is the Prime Minister who forms the Cabinet Government or any minister in the Cabinet Government, the Spanish Parliament has the authority to impeach and remove them.

However, the entire impeachment process is not that easy; it requires the support of the majority seats in the parliament to complete the entire impeachment and removal process of the officials.

According to the Spanish Constitution, members of the Spanish House of Representatives have the power to impeach any official. When any legislator submits an impeachment proposal to the parliament, it represents the official start of the entire impeachment process.

The final outcome of the impeachment proposal depends on the attitude of all legislators within the parliament. Once more than 60% of the legislators agree to the impeachment proposal, it represents that the parliament has officially removed the impeached official from office.

If the number of people agreeing to impeachment exceeds 40% but not over 60% of the seats in the House of Representatives, it will initiate a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and the Senate for a broader vote.

The House of Representatives and the Senate are essentially the Lower and Upper Houses of Spain, combined to form the complete parliament.

The current parliamentary system in Spain is quite complex, extending even to small-scale parliaments in various cities. Representatives elected by the city councils form the higher-level regional assembly, and the regional assembly elects a small number of representatives, finally forming the truly powerful House of Representatives.

The real electoral rights of Spanish citizens are only reflected in the city councils, where they can elect the council members, who then have the power to be elected to higher-level parliamentary members.

Further elections above that level have nothing to do with the public. After all, public opinion can be controlled, and the voting of a large number of voters also increases the burden of vote counting, which is unnecessary for present-day Spain.

Unlike the House of Representatives, the elections for the Senate have nothing to do with the public. According to the latest Spanish Constitution, the Senate of Spain is elected by the governments of various regions and colonies, plus members of the Cabinet Government to form a complete Senate.

If the House of Representatives holds legislative power, then the Senate’s greatest power is to perform a second review of the laws passed by the House of Representatives, formally executing them if approved, or sending them back for revision if not.

Generally, apart from reviewing laws submitted by the House of Representatives, the Senate does not have much to do.

But when there are certain differences in major votes, the role of the Senate becomes apparent. When the House of Representatives and Senate hold a joint meeting to vote, the votes of these Senate members are significant.

If, in an impeachment case, the number of House representatives agreeing to impeachment exceeds 40% but does not reach 60%, a joint meeting of the House of Representatives and Senate will be initiated to vote together.

At this point, more than 50% of the total votes pushing forward can advance the impeachment case; if the votes do not exceed 50% of the total, it represents the end of the impeachment case.

Finally, if the number of people agreeing to the impeachment proposal in the House of Representatives votes does not exceed 40%, it also represents the automatic end of the impeachment case, and the impeachment is nullified.

This indicates that although the House of Representatives has the power to oversee the government, it is still relatively difficult to remove a particular official or the entire government.

“`