The path to autonomy for the Balearic Islands

The Parliament of the Balearic Islands is the unicameral autonomous parliament of the Balearic Islands, one of the autonomous communities of Spain. It sits in the city of Palma on the island of Majorca and is composed of 59 elected seats.

The journey toward self-governance began with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Balearic Islands in July 1977, an unofficial provisional body. This assembly was composed of the eleven elected deputies and senators in the 1977 general election, with two more representatives from Menorca and two more from the Pityusic Islands elected on 13 June 1978.

The early days of this representation were led by Jeroni Albertí, a member of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD). Under the pre-autonomic regime decree, the Parliamentary Assembly was eventually dissolved when the Inter-island General Council was constituted on 24 July 1978.

During its existence, the Inter-island General Council possessed some of the basic competences in health and culture, though its main function was drafting a Statute of Autonomy for the archipelago. It functioned as a transition period from centralism to self-government until the Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands came into effect on 1 March 1983, at which point it was replaced by the Government of the Balearic Islands.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons