In October 2006, the constitutional commission of the
Cortes Generales (the national legislature of Spain), with favorable votes from the left-of-center
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the leftist
United Left (IU) and the right-of-center
People's Party (PP), approved a new Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia. On November 2, 2006, the Spanish Chamber Deputies ratified the text of the Constitutional Commission with 306 votes in favor, none opposed, and 2 abstentions. This was the first time a Spanish
Organic Law adopting a Statute of Autonomy was approved with no opposing votes. The Senate, in a plenary session of December 20, 2006, ratified the referendum to be voted upon by the Andalusian public. The new statute speaks of Andalusia as a "historic nationality" (Spanish:
nacionalidad histórica). It also cites the 1919
Andalusian nationalist Manifesto of Córdoba describing Andalusia as a "national reality" (
realidad nacional), but does not endorse that formulation. Article 1 of the earlier 1981 Statute of Autonomy defined it simply as a "nationality" (
nacionalidad). On February 18, 2007, the statute was put to
a referendum. The portion of the Andalusian populace (a turnout of 35.85%) that went to the polls overwhelmingly approved the new statute. In October 2006 the constitutional commission of the
Cortes Generales (the national legislature of Spain), with favorable votes from the PSOE, the IU and the PP, approved a new Statute of Autonomy for Andalusia, whose preamble refers to the community as a "
national reality" (
realidad nacional): On November 2, 2006, the Spanish Chamber Deputies ratified the text of the Constitutional Commission with 306 votes in favor, none opposed, and 2 abstentions. This was the first time a Spanish
Organic Law adopting a Statute of Autonomy was approved with no opposing votes. The Senate, in a plenary session of December 20, 2006, ratified the referendum to be voted upon by the Andalusian public February 18, 2007. The Statute of Autonomy spells out Andalusia's distinct institutions of government and administration. Chief among these is the
Andalusian Autonomous Government (
Junta de Andalucía). Other institutions specified in the Statute are the Defensor del Pueblo Andaluz (literally "Defender of the Andalusian People", basically an
ombudsperson), the Consultative Council, the Chamber of Accounts, the Audiovisual Council of Andalusia, and the Economic and Social Council. The Andalusian Statute of Autonomy recognizes
Seville as the region's capital. The new Statute of Autonomy was promulgated March 19, 2007. ==Notes==