Leader of the Opposition (Spain)

parliamentary position of the Congress of Deputies, Spain

The Leader of the Opposition (Spanish: Líder de la oposición) is an unofficial honorary title held by the leader of the largest party in the Congress of Deputies—the lower house of the Spanish parliament.

Leader of the Opposition
Líder de la oposición
Logo of the largest party in opposition
Incumbent
Alberto Núñez Feijóo

since 2 April 2022
ResidenceNo official residence
AppointerNone
Term lengthNo fixed term
Inaugural holderManuel Fraga
Formation28 December 1982 (formally)
8 February 1983 (officially)

List of opposition leaders change

Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Tenure Party Opposition to
government
Election Prime Minister
(Tenure)
Start End Duration
  Manuel Fraga
(1922–2012)
28 December
1982
24 July
1986
3 years and 338 days AP González I 1982 Felipe González
 
(1982–1996)
24 July
1986
1 December
1986
González II 1986
Post vacant during this interval.
  Miguel Herrero de Miñón
(born 1940)
23 December
1986
8 February
1987
47 days AP
  Antonio Hernández Mancha
(born 1951)
8 February
1987
20 January
1989[n 1]
1 year and 347 days AP
  Manuel Fraga
(1922–2012)
20 January
1989
21 November
1989[n 2]
305 days PP
  José María Aznar[n 3]
(born 1953)
21 November
1989
13 July
1993
6 years and 166 days PP González III 1989
13 July
1993
5 May
1996
González IV 1993
  Felipe González
(born 1942)
5 May
1996
21 June
1997
1 year and 47 days PSOE Aznar I 1996 José María Aznar
 
(1996–2004)
  Joaquín Almunia
(born 1948)
21 June
1997
26 May
1998
339 days PSOE
  Josep Borrell[n 4]
(born 1947)
26 May
1998
14 May
1999
353 days PSOE
  Joaquín Almunia
(born 1948)
14 May
1999
12 March
2000
303 days PSOE
Post vacant during this interval. Aznar II 2000
  José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
(born 1960)
22 July
2000
17 April
2004
3 years and 270 days PSOE
  Mariano Rajoy[n 5]
(born 1955)
17 April
2004
12 April
2008
7 years and 248 days PP Zapatero I 2004 José Luis
Rodríguez Zapatero

 
(2004–2011)
12 April
2008
21 December
2011
Zapatero II 2008
  Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba[n 6]
(1951–2019)
21 December
2011
26 July
2014
2 years and 217 days PSOE Rajoy I 2011 Mariano Rajoy
 
(2011–2018)
  Pedro Sánchez
(born 1972)
26 July
2014
1 October
2016
2 years and 67 days PSOE
2015
Post vacant during this interval. Rajoy II 2016
  Pedro Sánchez
(born 1972)
18 June
2017
2 June
2018
349 days PSOE
  Mariano Rajoy
(born 1955)
2 June
2018
21 July
2018[n 7]
49 days PP Sánchez I Pedro Sánchez
 
(2018–present)
  Pablo Casado
(born 1981)
21 July
2018
8 January
2020
3 years and 255 days PP
Apr. 2019
8 January
2020
2 April
2022[n 8]
Sánchez II Nov. 2019
  Alberto Núñez Feijóo
(born 1961)
2 April
2022
Incumbent 1 year and 359 days PP

Notes change

  1. Acting from 3 to 20 January 1989.
  2. Acting from 3 September to 21 November 1989.
  3. While José María Aznar led the PP parliamentary group in Congress in opposition from 21 November 1989, he did not become PP leader until 1 April 1990.
  4. Josep Borrell became the PSOE candidate for Prime Minister in a party primary held on 24 April 1998 and was appointed as PSOE's spokesperson in Congress on 26 May, but Joaquín Almunia retained the party's leadership.
  5. While Mariano Rajoy led the PP parliamentary group in Congress in opposition from 17 April 2004, he did not become PP leader until 2 October 2004.
  6. While Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba led the PSOE parliamentary group in Congress in opposition from 21 December 2011, he did not become PSOE leader until 4 February 2012.
  7. Acting from 5 June to 21 July 2018.
  8. Acting from 23 February to 2 April 2022.