# First government of Adolfo Suárez

The first government of Adolfo Suárez was formed on 8 July 1976, following the latter's appointment as Prime Minister of Spain by King Juan Carlos I on 3 July and his swearing-in on 5 July, as a result of Carlos Arias Navarro's resignation from the post on 1 July 1976. It succeeded the second Arias Navarro government and was the Government of Spain from 8 July 1976 to 5 July 1977, a total of 362 days, or 11 months and 27 days.
Suárez's first cabinet comprised members from the National Movement (with the notable absences of FET y de las JONS and the Opus Dei), but also by members of the reformist 'Tácito' group, a number of political associations that could not yet be legalized as parties—such as the Spanish People's Union (UDPE) and the Spanish Democratic Union (UDE)—and the Federation of Independent Studies (FEDISA) political society. Following the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the regulations of the Cortes Españolas had been amended to allow legislators to group into parliamentary factions, one of whom—the Independent Parliamentary Group (GPI), which would later become the Independent Social Federation (FSI) party—being represented in the Council of Ministers through Rodolfo Martín Villa.
On 7 April 1977, the National Movement and the FET y de las JONS party were officially disbanded, and many cabinet members—who had gone their own separate ways to a number of political parties ahead of the 1977 general election—joined into the nascent Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) electoral alliance under Suárez's leadership upon its formation in May 1977.

## Cabinet changes

Suárez's first government saw a number of cabinet changes during its tenure:
* On 23 September 1976, Fernando de Santiago was replaced as First Deputy Prime Minister by Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado.
* Minister of the Navy Gabriel Pita da Veiga announced his resignation on 12 April 1977 over personal disagreements with the government's decision to legalize the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) on 9 April; he was replaced by Admiral Pascual Pery on 15 April.
* On 23 April 1977, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo resigned as Minister of Public Works in order to organize the newly-formed Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) ahead of the 1977 Spanish general election. Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary duties of the affairs of the ministry until Calvo-Sotelo's successor, Luis Ortiz González, could take office on 11 May 1977.

## Council of Ministers

The Council of Ministers was structured into the offices for the prime minister, the two deputy prime ministers and 19 ministries, including one minister without portfolio.
← Suárez I Government → (8 July 1976 – 5 July 1977) :
| Portfolio | Name | Faction | Faction | Took office | Left office | Ref. |
| Prime Minister | Adolfo Suárez | | UDPE/Indep. | 5 July 1976 | 17 June 1977 | |
| First Deputy Prime Minister Minister without portfolio | Fernando de Santiago | | Military | 8 July 1976 | 23 September 1976 | [29] [30] |
| Second Deputy Prime Minister Minister of the Presidency | Alfonso Osorio | | UDE | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | [29] [30] |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | Marcelino Oreja | | Tácito | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Justice | Landelino Lavilla | | Tácito | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of the Army | Félix Álvarez-Arenas | | Military | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of the Navy | Gabriel Pita da Veiga | | Military | 8 July 1976 | 15 April 1977 | |
| Minister of Finance | Eduardo Carriles | | UDE | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Governance | Rodolfo Martín Villa | | GPI | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Public Works | Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo | | FEDISA | 8 July 1976 | 23 April 1977 | |
| Minister of Education and Science | Aurelio Menéndez | | Nonpartisan | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Labour | Álvaro Rengifo | | Nonpartisan | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Industry | Carlos Pérez de Bricio | | FEDISA | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of the Air | Carlos Franco Iribarnegaray | | Military | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Agriculture | Fernando Abril Martorell | | UDPE/Indep. | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister Secretary-General of the Movement | Ignacio García López | | UDPE/Indep. | 8 July 1976 | 7 April 1977 | |
| Minister of Trade | José Lladó | | UDPE/Indep. | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Information and Tourism | Andrés Reguera | | UDE | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Housing | Francisco Lozano Vicente | | Nonpartisan | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister for Trade Union Relations | Enrique de la Mata | | UDE | 8 July 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Changes September 1976 |||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Faction | Faction | Took office | Left office | Ref. |
| First Deputy Prime Minister for Defence Affairs Minister without portfolio | Manuel Gutiérrez Mellado | | Military | 23 September 1976 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Changes April 1977 |||||||
| Portfolio | Name | Faction | Faction | Took office | Left office | Ref. |
| Minister of the Navy | Pascual Pery | | Military | 15 April 1977 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister of Public Works | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. | Carlos Pérez de Bricio took on the ordinary discharge of duties from 23 April to 11 May 1977. |
| Minister of Public Works | Luis Ortiz González | | Independent | 11 May 1977 | 5 July 1977 | |
| Minister Secretary of the Government | Ignacio García López | | Independent | 7 April 1977 | 5 July 1977 | |