Third government of Manuel Azaña

The third government of Manuel Azaña was formed on 12 June 1933, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by President Niceto Alcalá-Zamora and his swearing-in that same day. It succeeded the second Azaña government and was the government of Spain from 12 June 1933 to 12 September 1933, a total of 92 days, or 3 months.

The cabinet comprised members of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the Radical Socialist Republican Party (PRRS), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), the Republican Action (AR), the Galician Republican Party (PRG) and the Federal Democratic Republican Party (PRDF).

The government would collapse after their loss on the partial local elections of 23 April 1933 and the elections to the Guarantees' Tribunal on 3 September 1933, that were won by the opposition CEDA. In an effort to prevent the fall of his cabinet, Azaña called a motion of confidence in order to prove he still counted with the confidence of the "majority" on 6 September and passed. Nonetheless, on the next day the President of the Republic withdrew his confidence on the government using the election losses and the narrow victory of the motion of confidence as a pretext for this decission.^[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.^[3] He could also inspect and ultimately control executive acts by granting or denying the signature of presidential decrees^[4] and dissolve the Cortes.^[5]

The President of the Republic, Alcalá-Zamora, held two successive rounds of negotiations to solve the political crisis arising from Azaña's resignation. The first round was held between 8 June and 9 June and the second, on 11 June:

After the round of consultations, it was clear that a new republican-socialist government had to be formed. Alcalá-Zamora tried to form a leftist government presided by someone other than Azaña, with whom he had developed a bad personal relationship over the years. At first he tried for this new government to be presided by the socialists, nominating Julián Besteiro who declined due to "personal reasons" and Indalecio Prieto, who declined after failing to reach a deal with the Radical Republican Party. Then he tried nominating Marcelino Domingo, who declined after failed negotiations with the other parliamentary groups. Having no other option, Azaña was nominated and formed a new government with a larger parliamentary majority than the previous one thanks to the incorporation of the Federal Republicans.^[10][11]

• On 12 July 1933, Álvaro de Albornoz resigns as Minister of Justice, being replaced by Santiago Casares Quiroga.