The minister of the presidency, previously the minister-under secretary of the presidency, is a member of the Spanish Council of Ministers and the head of the Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. As the closest minister to the prime minister, they are responsible for supporting the head of government, preparing the government's legislative programme and ensuring its implementation, authorizing the use of national symbols, and attending the government's collegial bodies. Furthermore, the minister also has assigned powers in matters of justice, as well as the exercise of the right to freedom of religion.
The presidency minister is appointed by the monarch, on the advice of the prime minister. Since July 2021, Félix Bolaños, from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, has served as minister of the presidency, justice and relations with the Cortes.
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Secretary of the Council of Ministers
Currently, in addition to the general functions of supporting and assisting the Government and its head, specifically, according to Article 18.1 of the 1997 Government Law, the Minister of the Presidency is responsible for serving as Secretary of the Council of Ministers. This function has been performed by the presidency minister since the approval of the Decree-Law of 19 July 1951, which reorganized the Central State Administration, until the present day, with the exception of the period between 1967 and 1973, when the Minister of Information and Tourism acted as Secretary of the Council, as it was considered at that time that the position of Deputy Prime Minister—which was then held by presidency minister Luis Carrero Blanco—was incompatible with that of Secretary of the Council.
As secretary of the Council of Ministers, the minister is responsible for taking minutes of the Council meetings and for keeping and safeguarding them. The Minister-Secretary si assisted by the Government Secretariat.
Likewise, Royal Decree 181/2008, of February 8, on the organization of the official journal "Boletín Oficial del Estado" establishes that the Secretary of the Council is the official authorized to order the publication in the gazette of the royal decree-laws, and only these, since the order of publication of laws corresponds to the Monarch and, the rest of the provisions and acts, to the senior officials or authorities who hold the representation of the body or department that issues them.
Finally, the Minister of the Presidency chairs the meetings of the General Commission of Secretaries of State and Undersecretaries, the body responsible for preparing for the Council of Ministers meetings, unless this responsibility is assigned to a Deputy Prime Minister. As of 2026, this responsibility belonges to the minister.
History
The position was established on 19 July 1951 by Francisco Franco, who granted the then Under-Secretary of the Presidency, Luis Carrero Blanco, the rank of minister, making him Minister-Under Secretary of the Presidency. Carrero Blanco held the position until June 1973 when, after separating the positions of prime minister and head of state, the dictator appointed him prime minister.
During the premiership of The Marquess of Arias Navarro, the Law 1/1974, of January 2, came into force, which divided the position of Minister-Undersecretary into two: the Minister of the Presidency and the Under-Secretary of the Presidency, a subordinate.
Since then, the trend has continued for the Minister of the Presidency to be a close associate or confidant of the Prime Minister, as this person serves as the prime minister's principal assistant and the one through whom the prime minister coordinates the various ministerial departments. This is why, since Carrero Blanco held the position between 1967 and 1973, many other Ministers of the Presidency have also served as Deputy Prime Minister, such as Alfonso Osorio (1976–1977, Second Deputy Prime Minister), Francisco Álvarez-Cascos (1996–2000), Mariano Rajoy (2000–2001 and 2002–2003), Javier Arenas (2003–2004, as Second Deputy Prime Minister), María Teresa Fernández de la Vega (2004–2010), Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría (2011–2018), and Carmen Calvo (2018–2021).