After the development of the , relations between the two countries cooled. While on 12 October 1969 a cultural cooperation agreement was signed and subsequently, on 24 July 1971 two more agreements, the regime of Francisco Macías Nguema ceased all diplomatic contacts with the Francoist regime. In the coming years, both countries experienced political changes. In Spain, the death of Francisco Franco in 1975 signaled the beginning of the transition to democracy, and the establishment of the constitutional monarchy of Juan Carlos I and the government of Adolfo Suárez. In Equatorial Guinea, the 1979 coup d'état, subsequent execution of Macías and formation of the Supreme Military Council established the regime of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and allowed the restoration of bilateral relations between the two countries. On 31 October 1979, a cooperation agreement and an action protocol were signed for the first time since 1971, and were followed by a financial cooperation agreement and two protocols on 5 December 1979.