Spokesperson of the Government of Spain

Spokesperson of the Government
Logo of the Palace of La Moncloa
Incumbent
Elma Saiz
since 22 December 2025
Office of the Prime Minister
StyleThe Most Excellent (formal)
Mr. Spokesperson (informal)
Member ofCouncil of Ministers
NominatorThe Prime Minister
AppointerThe Monarch
FormationSeptember 1, 1978 (1978-09-01)
First holderManuel Ortiz Sánchez
DeputySecretary of State of Press
Moncloa Palace's Press Room

The spokesperson of the government (Spanish: Portavoz del Gobierno) is a position in the Government of Spain whose purpose is to inform and communicate political and institutional activities of the government to the public. The spokesperson—who currently holds the rank of minister—is based at the Moncloa Palace.

History

In Spain, the starting point of relations between the government and the press, as well as with the general public, dates back to the premiership of José Canalejas y Méndez, in the early 1910s.[1]

During this time, Canalejas established the custom now known as "información en corro" or "corrillo"[a], gathering journalists daily in his office to tell them the news. This practice, which from the beginning was understood as a way to influence the press so that it would write about what the government wanted or, if necessary, make corrections to the day's news, was continued by some prime ministers like Eduardo Dato, and rejected by others like the Count of Romanones.[1]

At the same time as these meetings were taking place, since the beginning of the 1900s another custom had been established, that of providing the press with an "unofficial note or reference", which is what is known today as the "reference of the Council of Ministers".[1]

First communication bodies

Over the years, the task of informing the public became institutionalized, an example of which was the creation in 1918 of an Information Office within the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts, whose purpose was "to communicate to the Press the information previously authorized by the Minister, Undersecretary and Directors-General".[2]

Under the dictatorship of Miguel Primo de Rivera, the Press Information and Censorship Office was created within the Prime Minister's Office, later renamed the Press Information and Censorship Cabinet. Lieutenant Colonel Pedro Rico Parada was appointed to head this body within days and, after two years, Eduardo Hernández Vida (known by his pseudonym Celedonio de la Iglesia) was appointed, a position he held until the end of the dictatorship. Although these two men occasionally spoke to the press, the de facto spokesperson was General Adolfo Vallespinosa, who typically communicated the Council of Ministers' decisions and provided press coverage of the meetings.[2] Despite this, communication remained highly personal, as before, with the head of the Executive—Primo de Rivera—routinely providing information to the press. After the dictator's fall, the new prime minister, General Berenguer, changed the head of the Press Office several times, but again, the de facto spokesman was someone else, this time Ricardo Ruiz y Benítez de Lugo.[3]

During the Second Republic, a Press Section attached to the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic was created (1932), headed by prominent figures such as Emilio Herrero Mazorra.[4] However, the Prime Minister refused to allow journalists to request information at the Presidential Palace and asked them to go to the headquarters of the Prime Minister's Office or the relevant Ministry, although they were eventually provided with a place to work in the palace to avoid miscoordination.[5] At the end, the main channel of communication with the public was the under-secretary of the presidency, as well as each minister gave their opinion upon entering and leaving the Council of Ministers meetings.[5] Later, during Largo Caballero's premiership and in the midst of the Civil War, the Ministry of Propaganda was created, which centralized all internal and external information bodies, although it was abolished a few months later.

Minister-Spokesperson

In the early years of the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, information and press policies fell under the Ministry of the Interior, led by Ramón Serrano Suñer. However, in 1941 these policies were placed under the control of the FET y de las JONS, through the Deputy Secretary for Popular Education,[6] although, four years later they would return to the State Administration, through the Under-Secretary for Popular Education, integrated into the Ministry of National Education.[7]

Later, the Ministry of Information and Tourism was created (1951), a government department responsible for controlling information, press and radio, as well as censorship. It was also responsible for tourism, an industry that experienced significant growth during those years. For the first eleven years, this department was headed by Gabriel Arias-Salgado, who had previously served as Deputy Secretary for Popular Education between 1941 and 1945. This ministry centralized and dictated the communication policy, disseminating reports from the Council of Ministers to the media,[8] and its head acted as the de facto spokesperson of the government, a role that became more pronounced during the premiership of Carlos Arias Navarro.[9]

The return to democracy required more communication to the public about the government's work, which made it necessary to formally establish the role of spokesperson. After the Ministry of Information and Tourism, the next highest body of the Spanish Communication Administration was the Information Services Office, created in October 1977 within the Prime Minister's Office.[10] In September 1978, this Office was abolished and all communication bodies were grouped into a new Secretariat of State for Information, whose head, for the first time, was assigned the role of government spokesperson.[11]

In 1982, with the arrival of the Socialist Party to power, the State Secretariat was transformed into the Office of the Government Spokesperson, headed by Eduardo Sotillos. In 1985, he was replaced by Javier Solana, Minister of Culture, who would alternate between both responsibilities. However, in 1988 the prime minister Felipe González, decided to give ministerial rank to the Spokesperson's Office, creating the Ministry of the Government Spokesperson, whose first head was Rosa Conde.[12] With her dismissal in 1993, the ministry was unified with the Ministry of the Presidency, then headed by Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba.

Since then, with the exceptions of Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Bajón, Secretary of State for Communication, and Pío Cabanillas Alonso, who was a minister without portfolio, the rest of the government spokespersons have been ministers in charge of a ministerial department, assisted at all times by the Secretary of State for Press.

List of government spokespersons

Name
(B.–D..)		 Term Position Government Ref.
Start End Duration Prime Minister Monarch
Manuel Ortiz Sánchez
(1934–2017)		 1 September 1978 18 May 1979 259 days Secretary of State for Press Adolfo Suárez

(1976–1981)
Juan Carlos I

(1975–2014)		 [13][14]
Josep Meliá Pericás
(1939–2000)		 18 May 1979 17 October 1980 1 year, 152 days [14][15]
Rosa Posada
(1940–2014)		 24 October 1980 27 February 1981 126 days [16][17]
Ignacio Aguirre Borell
(1932–2003)		 27 February 1981 7 December 1982 1 year, 283 days Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo

(1981–1982)		 [17][18]
Eduardo Sotillos
(born 1940)		 7 December 1982 3 July 1985 2 years, 208 days — Felipe González

(1982–1996)		 [19][20]
Javier Solana
(born 1942)		 4 July 1985 11 July 1988 3 years, 7 days Minister of Culture [21][22]
Rosa Conde
(born 1942)		 11 July 1988 13 July 1993 5 years, 2 days Minister Government Spokesperson [22]
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
(1951–2019)		 13 July 1993 6 May 1996 2 years, 298 days Minister of the Presidency [23]
Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Bajón
(born 1964)		 6 May 1996 10 July 1998 2 years, 65 days Secretary of State for Press José María Aznar

(1996–2004)		 [24][25]
Josep Piqué
(1955–2023)		 16 July 1998 27 April 2000 1 year, 286 days Minister of Industry and Energy [26]
Pío Cabanillas Alonso
(born 1958)		 27 April 2000 9 July 2002 2 years, 73 days — [27][28]
Mariano Rajoy
(born 1955)		 9 July 2002 3 September 2003 1 year, 56 days Deputy PM
Minister of the Presidency		 [29]
Eduardo Zaplana
(born 1956)		 3 September 2003 17 April 2004 227 days Minister of Labour and Social Affairs [30]
María Teresa Fernández de la Vega
(born 1949)		 17 April 2004 20 October 2010 6 years, 186 days Deputy PM
Minister of the Presidency		 José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

(2004–2011)		 [31][32]
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba
(1951–2019)		 20 October 2010 11 July 2011 264 days Deputy PM
Minister of the Interior		 [33]
José Blanco López
(born 1962)		 11 July 2011 22 December 2011 164 days Minister of Development [34]
Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría
(born 1971)		 22 December 2011 3 November 2016 4 years, 317 days Deputy PM
Minister of the Presidency		 Mariano Rajoy

(2011–2018)		 [35]

Felipe VI

(2014–present)
The Baron of Claret
(born 1956)		 3 November 2016 6 June 2018 1 year, 215 days Minister of Education, Culture and Sport [36]
Isabel Celaá
(born 1949)		 6 June 2018 12 January 2020 1 year, 220 days Minister of Education and Vocational Training Pedro Sánchez

(2018–)		 [37]
María Jesús Montero
(born 1966)		 12 January 2020 10 July 2021 1 year, 179 days Minister of Finance [38]
Isabel Rodríguez García
(born 1981)		 10 July 2021 20 November 2023 2 years, 133 days Minister for Territorial Policy [39]
Pilar Alegría
(born 1977)		 20 November 2023 22 December 2025 2 years, 32 days Minister for Education, Vocational Training and Sports [40]
sinmarco Elma Saiz
(born 1975)		 22 December 2025 En el cargo 249 days Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration [41]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Campos Zabala (2005), pp. 89–90.
  2. 1 2 Campos Zabala (2005), pp. 91–93.
  3. ↑ Campos Zabala (2005), pp. 98–99.
  4. ↑ Campos Zabala (2005), p. 103.
  5. 1 2 Campos Zabala (2005), p. 105.
  6. ↑ Head of State (22 May 1941). "Ley de 20 de mayo de 1941 por la que se transfieren los Servicios de Prensa y Propaganda a la Vicesecretaría de Educación de F.E.T. y de las J.O.N.S." [Law of 20 May 1941, transferring the Press and Propaganda Services to the Deputy Secretariat for Education of F.E.T. and the J.O.N.S.] (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (28 July 1945). "Decreto-ley de 27 de julio 1945 por el que se organiza la Subsecretaria de Educación Popular en el Ministerio de Educación Nacional" [Decree-law of 27 July 1945, which organizes the Undersecretariat for Popular Education in the Ministry of National Education] (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  8. ↑ López Garrido, Diego. Ministry for Relations with the Cortes and Government Secretariat (ed.). El Consejo de Ministros durante el régimen de Franco (de la obra "1812-1992. El arte de gobernar: historia del Consejo de Ministros y de la Presidencia del Gobierno") [The Council of Ministers during the Franco regime (from the work "1812-1992. The art of governing: history of the Council of Ministers and the Presidency of the Government")] (in Spanish). Madrid: Tecnos. p. 175. ISBN 84-309-2264-4.
  9. ↑ Fernández Fernández-Cuesta, Juan Manuel (2018). "La Secretaría de Estado para la Información: origen, objetivos y estructura (1978-1982)" [The Secretariat of State for Information: origin, objectives and structure (1978-1982)]. Revista Internacional de Historia de la Comunicación (in Spanish). 2 (11): 65. doi:10.12795/RiHC.2018.i11.05. ISSN 2255-5129.
  10. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (8 November 1977). "Real Decreto 2761/1977, de 28 de octubre, por el que se reorganiza la Presidencia del Gobierno" [Royal Decree 2761/1977, of October 28, which reorganizes the Prime Minister's Office]. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  11. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (15 September 1978). "Real Decreto 2157/1978, de 1 de septiembre, por el que se crea la Secretaría de Estado para la Información" [Royal Decree 2157/1978, of September 1, which creates the State Secretariat for Information.]. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026. Article 2. The Secretary of State for Information will act as government spokesperson.
  12. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (12 July 1988). "Real Decreto 727/1988, de 11 de julio, de reestructuración de Departamentos Ministeriales" [Royal Decree 727/1988, of July 11, on the restructuring of Ministerial Departments.]. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2026.
  13. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (16 September 1978). "Real Decreto 2178/1978, de 1 de septiembre, por el que se nombra Secretario de Estado para la Información a don Manuel Ortiz Sánchez" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  14. 1 2 Office of the Prime Minister (19 May 1979). "Reales decretos por los cuales se dispone el cese en el cargo de Secretario de Estado para la Información de don Manuel Ortiz Sánchez y se nombra en su lugar a don Josep Meliá Pericas" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  15. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (18 October 1980). "Real Decreto 2210/1980, de 17 de octubre, por el que se dispone cese en el cargo de Secretario de Estado para la Información, por pase a otro destino, don Josep Meliá Pericás" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  16. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (25 October 1980). "Real Decreto 2281/1980, de 24 de octubre, por el que se nombra Secretaria de Estado para la Información a doña Rosa Posada Chapado" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  17. 1 2 Office of the Prime Minister (28 February 1981). "Reales decretos por los cuales se dispone el cese en el cargo de Secretaria de Estado para la Información de doña Rosa Posada Chapado y se nombra en su lugar a don Ignacio Aguirre Borrell" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  18. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (8 December 1982). "Real Decreto 3376/1982, de 7 de diciembre, por el que se dispone el cese de don Ignacio Aguirre Borrell como Secretario de Estado para la Información" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  19. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (8 December 1982). "Real Decreto 3387/1982, de 7 de diciembre, por el que se nombra Portavoz del Gobierno a don Eduardo Sotillos Palet". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  20. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (5 July 1985). "Real Decreto 1084/1985, de 3 de julio, por el que se dispone el cese como Portavoz del Gobierno de don Eduardo Sotillos Palet" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  21. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (5 July 1985). "Real Decreto 1087/1985, de 4 de julio, por el que se dispone que don Javier Solana Madariaga, Ministro de Cultura, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  22. 1 2 Office of the Prime Minister (12 July 1988). "Real Decreto 731/1988, de 11 de julio, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno" (PDF). www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  23. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (1993-07-14). "Real Decreto 1173/1993, de 13 de julio, de Reestructuración de Departamentos ministeriales". pp. 21205–21206. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  24. ↑ Ministry of the Presidency (8 May 1996). "Real Decreto 799/1996, de 7 de mayo, por el que se nombra Secretario de Estado de la Comunicación a don Miguel Angel Rodríguez Bajón". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  25. ↑ Ministry of the Presidency (11 July 1998). "Real Decreto 1552/1998, de 10 de julio, por el que se dispone el cese de don Miguel Ángel Rodríguez Bajón como Secretario de Estado de la Comunicación". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  26. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (16 July 1998). "Real Decreto 1555/1998, de 15 de julio, por el que se dispone que don Josep Piqué i Camps, Ministro de Industria y Energía, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  27. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (28 April 2000). "Real Decreto 561/2000, de 27 de abril, por el que se nombran Ministros del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  28. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (10 July 2002). "Real Decreto 669/2002, de 9 de julio, por el que se dispone el cese de don Pío Cabanillas Alonso como Ministro Portavoz del Gobierno, sin cartera". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  29. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (10 July 2002). "Real Decreto 679/2002, de 9 de julio, por el que se dispone que don Mariano Rajoy Brey, Vicepresidente Primero del Gobierno y Ministro de la Presidencia, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  30. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (4 September 2003). "Real Decreto 1123/2003, de 3 de septiembre, por el que se dispone que don Eduardo Zaplana Hernández-Soro, Ministro de Trabajo y Asuntos Sociales, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  31. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (18 April 2004). "Real Decreto 559/2004, de 17 de abril, por el que se dispone que doña María Teresa Fernández de la Vega Sanz, Vicepresidenta Primera del Gobierno y Ministra de la Presidencia, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  32. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (14 April 2008). "Real Decreto 437/2008, de 12 de abril, por el que se dispone que doña María Teresa Fernández de la Vega Sanz, Vicepresidenta Primera del Gobierno y Ministra de la Presidencia, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  33. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (21 October 2010). "Real Decreto 1330/2010, de 20 de octubre, por el que se dispone que don Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, Vicepresidente Primero del Gobierno y Ministro del Interior, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  34. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (12 July 2011). "Real Decreto 1020/2011, de 11 de julio, por el que se dispone que don José Blanco López, Ministro de Fomento, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  35. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (22 December 2011). "Real Decreto 1827/2011, de 21 de diciembre, por el que se dispone que doña María Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría Antón, Ministra de la Presidencia, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  36. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (4 November 2016). "Real Decreto 418/2016, de 3 de noviembre, por el que se dispone que don Íñigo Méndez de Vigo y Montojo, Ministro de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  37. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (7 June 2018). "Real Decreto 358/2018, de 6 de junio, por el que se dispone que doña María Isabel Celaá Diéguez, Ministra de Educación y Formación Profesional, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  38. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (13 January 2020). "Real Decreto 9/2020, de 12 de enero, por el que se dispone que doña María Jesús Montero Cuadrado, Ministra de Hacienda, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  39. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (12 July 2021). "Real Decreto 534/2021, de 10 de julio, por el que se dispone que doña Isabel Rodríguez García, Ministra de Política Territorial, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  40. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (21 November 2023). "Real Decreto 836/2023, de 20 de noviembre, por el que se dispone que doña María del Pilar Alegría Continente, Ministra de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". www.boe.es. Retrieved 2025-05-02.
  41. ↑ Office of the Prime Minister (22 December 2025). "Real Decreto 1185/2025, de 22 de diciembre, por el que se dispone que doña Elma Saiz Delgado, Ministra de Inclusión, Seguridad Social y Migraciones, asuma las funciones de Portavoz del Gobierno". Boletín Oficial del Estado. Retrieved 2025-12-22.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ↑ According to the Royal Spanish Academy, información en corro or simply, a corrillo means "to gather in circle to argue and talk, separate from the rest of the people".
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