First government of Alejandro Lerroux

The first government of Alejandro Lerroux, also known as the "Government of Republican Concentration", was formed on 12 September 1933, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by President Niceto Alcalá-Zamora and his swearing-in the same day. It succeeded the third Azaña government and was the government of Spain from 12 September 1933 to 8 October 1933, a total of 26 days.

The cabinet comprised members of the Radical Republican Party (PRR), the Radical Socialist Republican Party (PRRS), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Republican Action (AR), Galician Republican Party (PRG) and Radical Socialist Left (IRS).

The government was plagued by infighting and after Lerroux, when presenting his government to the Cortes on 2 September, suggested he would ask for the dissolution of Congress and the calling of new elections, the coalition broke. The left-wing republicans had made it a condition for participating and supporting the government that the radicals renounce to this demand, their refusal to abide to their conditions led to them supporting a motion of no confidence presented by the socialists which the government lost, leading to its downfall.^[1]

The Constitution of 1931 enshrined Spain as a semi-presidential republic, awarding the President of the Republic the capability of appointing government ministers at will unless the Cortes refused explicitly, that is to say, through a motion of no confidence.^[7] He could also inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of presidential decrees ^[8] and dissolve the Cortes. ^[9]

The President of the Republic, Alcalá-Zamora, held a round of consultations to solve the political crisis arising from Azaña's resignation between 8 June and 9 June 1933:

After being nominated by Alcalá-Zamora to "restore the fraternal understanding among all republican factions", Lerroux would try to form a "government of notables" which would have included Felipe Sánchez Román, José Ortega y Gasset and Salvador de Madariaga but this was called off by the President of the Republic and the left republicans, who associated this practice with the Reign of Alfonso XIII. After the failure of his initial plan, he decided to form a conventional coalition government with the left republicans.^[12]