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Organic Law (Spain)
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An Organic Law (Spanish: Ley Orgánica) in Spanish law under the present Spanish Constitution of 1978 must be passed by an absolute majority of the Congress of Deputies (not merely a majority of those voting). The Spanish Constitution specifies that some areas of law should be regulated by this procedure, such as the Laws of Development of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms contained in the first section of Chapter Two of Title I of the Constitution, which was the basis for the Statutes of Autonomy of the various autonomous communities of Spain. Prior to the 1978 constitution this concept had no precedent in Spain, but was inspired by a similar concept in the current French Constitution of 1958, which established the French Fifth Republic.[1]

Juridically, organic laws are at the same level as ordinary laws. The difference between the two is in the more restrictive process for creating organic laws and in the matters that they regulate.
Contents
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* 1 Definition and application
* 2 Approval
* 3 Organic law as a source of law
* 4 See also
* 5 Notes

[edit] Definition and application

Article 81.1 of the Spanish Constitution says: "Organic laws are those related to the development of fundamental rights and public liberties, those that approve Statutes of Autonomy and the general electoral regime, and others foreseen in the Constitution." [2] In compliance with this, Organic Laws include the following:

* Those that develop the fundamental rights and public liberties mentioned in Articles 15–29 of the Constitution). An example is the Organic Law of Education (Spanish:Ley Orgánica de Educación) that expands upon Article 27 of the Constitution.
* Statutes of Autonomy. An example is the revised Statute of Autonomy of Andalusia, Ley Orgánica 2/2007, adopted 19 March 2007.
* The general electoral regime, currently (as of 2009) regulated by Ley Orgánica 5/1985, adopted 19 June 1985.
* "…others foreseen in the Constitution." There area a number of matters in the Constitution that presume development by laws. In some cases it is explicit that these are to be developed by Organic Law. For example:

* The basis of military organization (Article 8.2)

Ley Orgánica 6/1980 (1 July 1980), which regulates basic criteria of National Defense and Military Organization.

* The institution of the Defensor del Pueblo (literally "Defender of the Public"), a type of ombudsman (Article 54)

Ley Orgánica 3/1981 (6 April 1981), of the Defensor del Pueblo