How Regional Government works in Spain (2025 Guide)

Moving to Spain, or just trying to make sense of how it’s run? Here’s a plain-English explanation of Spain’s territorial set-up, how local and regional government work, who does what, and how you can vote. We’ve grounded this guide in official sources and current rules so you can use it with confidence.

Key takeaways

• Spain is unitary in law but highly decentralised in practice. This means municipalities handle local services, provinces/islands support and coordinate, and regions run major public services like health and education. The State sets national frameworks and is represented territorially by Government Delegations.
• Elections are proportional and rules live in the LOREG; municipal mayors are generally invested by councils; provincial councils are indirectly chosen. Regional presidents are invested by their parliaments.
• Voting rights for foreigners: EU citizens in Spain can vote in municipal/euro elections (with prior registration); several reciprocity countries, including the UK, also qualify for municipal voting if registered on time.
• Financing mixes common-regime and foral models; all regions operate within constitutional principles of coordination and solidarity.

If you’re relocating, your first stop is the town hall. Register on the padrón and ask about local services. Understanding who does what will save you time and set expectations: ayuntamientos for day-to-day services, diputaciones/cabildos/consells for province or island-wide support, and autonomous communities for big-ticket public services like health and schools. And when elections roll around, check your census status early so your name is on the list when it counts.

The constitutional blueprint

Spain is a decentralised state. The 1978 Constitution balances national unity with meaningful self-government for regions. Article 2 states that Spain is one nation but recognises and guarantees the right to autonomy of the “nationalities and regions” within it. This is the legal basis for today’s system of autonomous communities and local self-government. Articles 137–141 outline Spain’s territorial organisation into municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities, and guarantee municipal autonomy.

Articles 148–149 then split powers between the State and the regions. In practice, that means Madrid handles nationwide matters (defence, immigration, monetary policy, main commercial law, etc.), while the regions and local entities take on services closer to daily life, such as health, education (to varying degrees), social services, town planning, waste, local transport and more.

The exact mix varies by region, because each autonomous community has its own Statute of Autonomy (an organic law) that defines its institutions and powers.

Also read: Constitution Day: What Spain celebrates on December 6

Quick glossary

• Ayuntamiento – Town/City council.
• Diputación Provincial – Provincial council (indirectly elected).
• Cabildo / Consell Insular – Island council in the Canaries/Balearics.
• Comunidad Autónoma – Autonomous community (region).
• LOREG – Spain’s Organic General Electoral Law.
• Padrón – Municipal register of residents.
• Concejo abierto – Open council system for tiny municipalities.
• Concierto/Convenio Económico – Basque/Navarrese foral finance model and negotiated quota (cupo)

Spain’s three territorial layers plus two special cities

Autonomous communities and provinces of Spain

Think of Spain’s public sector in three layers:

1. Municipalities (Ayuntamientos) – your town or city hall.
2. Provinces (Diputaciones Provinciales) or Island Councils (Cabildos in the Canaries; Consells Insulars in the Balearics) – a mid-tier that supports smaller towns and runs province-wide services.
3. Autonomous Communities – the regional governments with parliaments and executives.

There are also two autonomous cities, Ceuta and Melilla, which have a special status akin to an autonomous community.

Municipalities

Municipalities (ayuntamientos) are the bedrock of local life. The Constitution protects their autonomy (Article 140), and the foundational Local Government Law (Ley 7/1985, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Loca) spells out their competences and operating rules. Typical municipal services include local roads, street cleaning, waste, water, urban planning/licensing, local police, markets, parks, libraries, and cultural/sports facilities (scope depends on population).

Spain also recognises other local entities where relevant: islands (outside the peninsula), comarcas (groupings of municipalities), mancomunidades (voluntary joint bodies to deliver shared services), metropolitan areas, and smaller sub-municipal entities in rural areas. These forms help pool resources or reflect local geography.

The structure of municipal government 

Citizens elect councillors to the plenary council; those councillors then invest the mayor (alcalde). In most municipalities, the mayor is not directly elected; the council chooses them, and can also remove them via a constructive vote of no confidence. (Very small municipalities may use the traditional concejo Abierto – an open assembly of all voters.)

Provinces and islands

Provinces (50 in total) are groupings of municipalities. Their governing body, the Diputación Provincial, supports municipalities, especially smaller ones, with technical, legal and financial assistance, and can run province-wide services (e.g., road networks, waste or water consortia, cultural institutions).

Their role is defined by the Constitution (Article 141) and by the Local Government Law. In the islands, the equivalent is the Cabildo (Canaries) or Consell Insular (Balearics). In single-province autonomous communities (e.g., Madrid, Murcia, La Rioja, Asturias, Cantabria, Navarre), regional institutions assume provincial functions instead of having a separate diputación.

A notable detail is that diputaciones are indirectly elected. Their members are chosen by and from municipal councillors after local elections, using proportional rules set in the election law (LOREG).

Autonomous communities

Spain has 17 autonomous communities (Andalusia, Catalonia, Madrid, etc.) plus the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. All regions have unicameral parliaments and a regional government (president plus ministers/councillors). Their powers come from the Constitution and each region’s Statute of Autonomy, creating an asymmetric map in which some regions have more extensive competencies than others.

Common areas of regional responsibility include healthcare, education (curricula are partly state-set and partly regional), social services, housing, culture, territorial planning and environment, and parts of transport. The State retains exclusive powers in areas listed in Article 149 (e.g., nationality, immigration, defence, customs, commercial legislation, macro-economic policy).

Who represents the central State in the regions?

Even with far-reaching devolution, the central government keeps a territorial presence through Government Delegations in each autonomous community (and Sub-delegations in provinces). These bodies represent Madrid, coordinate national services in the territory (e.g., immigration offices, national police/civil guard, civil protection), and liaise with the regional government.

How voting works – the LOREG framework

Spain’s electoral processes follow the Ley Orgánica del Régimen Electoral General (LOREG). It lays out the institutions that oversee elections (Junta Electoral Central, provincial and area boards, plus polling stations), the rights of voters, and the mechanics for municipalities, provinces and autonomous communities.

Recent reforms continue to tweak the law (e.g., 2025 updates and a government-backed plan to require at least one publicly broadcast debate per campaign, pending final parliamentary approval).

Municipal elections (every 4 years)

• Councillors are elected via proportional representation (D’Hondt) from closed party lists in each municipality.
• There is a vote threshold (commonly 5% of valid votes) to gain seats.
• After the council is elected, councillors invest the mayor. If no candidate secures a majority, the head of the most-voted list is typically proclaimed mayor.
• In very small councils using concejo abierto, the mayor may be elected directly by residents.

Foreign residents

• EU citizens resident in Spain can vote in municipal (and European) elections once they register correctly in the electoral census.
• Certain non-EU nationals may vote in municipal elections under reciprocity agreements in force (e.g., United Kingdom, Norway, Iceland, New Zealand, and several Latin American countries). Registration deadlines apply.

Provincial diputaciones

You don’t vote for the diputación directly. Its members are chosen indirectly, after municipal elections, seats are allocated to judicial districts and then distributed among parties based on councillor votes. Those provincial deputies then elect the diputación president.

Regional (autonomous community) elections

Each region’s Statute of Autonomy and electoral laws set the details, but the usual pattern is:

• A unicameral parliament elected by proportional representation (D’Hondt) across one or several constituencies (often provinces).
• A threshold (commonly 3%–5% in each constituency).
• The regional president is invested by the parliament—if no candidate secures support, repeat ballots and, ultimately, new elections can be triggered as the statute provides.

Practicalities: registration, polling and absentee voting

• You vote at the polling station assigned to you by the electoral census. Voting is personal, and you may only vote once per election. Postal voting is available under set conditions.
• EU citizens must be on the municipal register (padrón) and declare intention to vote in Spain for municipal/euro votes. Spain’s official portal sets out the steps and timing.

What each level actually does

While exact powers depend on laws and, for regions, their statutes, these are the bread-and-butter responsibilities you’ll encounter:

• Municipality (Ayuntamiento): local urban planning and building permits; street maintenance; rubbish and recycling; local water and sewage; local police; licensing for bars/restaurants; markets; parks and sports facilities; cultural activities; public lighting; cemeteries; and local public transport in bigger towns.
• Province / Island Council: technical and financial support for small municipalities; provincial road networks; certain environmental services; cultural promotion and archives; fire and rescue in rural areas; and shared IT/administrative platforms. In the islands, cabildos/consells also take on island-wide transport, environment and heritage.
• Autonomous Community: health services; education (schools and some university competencies); social services and dependency; housing policy; spatial planning and environment; regional police forces where they exist; culture and language policy; inland transport and roads not reserved to the State. National laws and court rulings set the exact boundaries.

How the money flows

Spain runs two parallel systems for regional finance, the common-regime financing and the Foral system.

Common-regime financing (most regions)

Regions receive shared tax revenues (like personal income tax shares, VAT shares), transfers, and can create some taxes, all under the LOFCA framework. The Constitution (Article 157) lists the resources of autonomous communities and sets principles of coordination and solidarity.

Foral system (Basque Country and Navarre)

These historic territories levy and manage most taxes themselves and pay a negotiated “cupo” to the State for national-level services—a model known as the Concierto/Convenio Económico. The Basque system’s scope is periodically updated by Spain and the region in a Mixed Commission.

At the local level, municipalities rely on local taxes (property tax—IBI, vehicle tax, plus fees), shared revenues, and grants, which are often channelled through diputaciones or regions. The Local Government Law frames what local entities can do and how they are funded.

In practice – cooperation, not isolation

Devolution doesn’t mean each layer works in a silo. The central State and the regions cooperate through sectoral conferences and bodies like the Conference of Presidents. On the ground, Government Delegations coordinate State services and interact with regional and local authorities during emergencies, policing, immigration, or major events.

Regions also maintain an international “external action” within constitutional limits—promoting trade, culture and tourism abroad—but foreign policy remains the State’s exclusive competence.

I’m moving to Spain, what should I do first?

• Register on the municipal padrón at your town hall. This is essential for access to local services and to appear in the electoral census where applicable. Modernisation efforts are improving data sharing between municipalities and the national statistics office.
• If you’re an EU citizen, also declare your intention to vote in Spain for municipal and European elections. Non-EU citizens from reciprocity countries (including the United Kingdom) should check the current list and deadlines. You can then apply to be included in the special electoral census for foreign residents.
• For regional and national elections, only Spanish citizens can vote. If you naturalise later, ensure your electoral details are up to date with the Oficina del Censo Electoral. (The Ministry of the Interior and the Junta Electoral Central publish all the official notices and results.)

This article reflects rules and sources current to 28 August 2025.