As of July 2023, 17 women have served or are serving as the president of a Spanish Autonomous Community (including three acting presidents) and none have served or are serving as presidents of the autonomous cities. Currently, five women are serving as regional presidents.
The first woman to act as regional president was María Antonia Martínez, who served as Acting president of Murcia for almost a month after former president Andrés Hernández Ros was forced to resign. She would be later, in 1993, elected as President of the region after once again another former president, Carlos Collado, was also forced to resign.
The first woman to assume office as regional president following a regional election was Esperanza Aguirre, who was elected on November 21, 2003, by the Assembly of Madrid, also becoming the first woman to held the position since María Antonia Martínez, and she also became the first woman to resign from her position following a corruption scandal. Since then, apart from the Region of Murcia and the Community of Madrid, eight other Autonomous Communities have elected female regional Presidents after their respective regional elections.
On 20 June 2023, Mae de la Concha became the first woman not to belong to one of the two main nationwide Spanish political parties to be appointed as regional president, although serving only in acting capacity.
To date, no woman has ever changed parties during her presidential term.
To date, ten Autonomous Communities have elected women as regional presidents, and only Navarre and the Balearic Islands have elected women from different political parties to hold the position. Navarre was also the first community where a woman followed another woman as president, and is the first and to date only community to have three women in a row being elected as president - although the Balearic Islands have also have three women in a row as president. The Community of Madrid and Navarre are the communities that have elected the most women to the position, with three each.
As of 2021, a total of 7 autonomous communities have never had a woman as president. Those regions are: Asturias, the Basque Country, the Canary Islands, Castile and León, Catalonia, Galicia and the Valencian Community and the two autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Only one autonomous community (Castile and León) has never seen a major party nominate a woman in a regional election.
No women of color have been elected as regional president.
Esperanza Aguirre from the Community of Madrid has been the longest-serving female regional president, with a mandate of 8 years and 301 days while María Antonia Martínez from the Region of Murcia has been the shortest-serving female president.
From June 25 to July 1, 2015, from April 4 to May 3, 2017, and since July 14, 2023 there was a total of five women serving as regional presidents, making these the periods with the greatest number of women serving at the same time.
| Starting | Total | Graph |
|---|---|---|
| March 9, 1984 | 1 (5.3%) | ❚ |
| April 1, 1984 | 0 (0%) | |
| May 3, 1993 | 1 (5.3%) | ❚ |
| July 5, 1995 | 0 (0%) | |
| November 21, 2003 | 1 (5.3%) | ❚ |
| June 22, 2011 | 2 (10.5%) | ❚❚ |
| June 28, 2011 | 3 (15.8%) | ❚❚❚ |
| July 14, 2011 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| September 18, 2012 | 3 (15.8%) | ❚❚❚ |
| September 6, 2013 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| June 25, 2015 | 5 (26.3%) | ❚❚❚❚❚ |
| July 5, 2015 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| April 4, 2017 | 5 (26.3%) | ❚❚❚❚❚ |
| May 4, 2017 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| April 26, 2018 | 3 (15.8%) | ❚❚❚ |
| January 19, 2019 | 2 (10.5%) | ❚❚ |
| August 17, 2019 | 3 (15.8%) | ❚❚❚ |
| August 29, 2019 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| June 30, 2023 | 3 (15.8%) | ❚❚❚ |
| July 4, 2023 | 4 (21.1%) | ❚❚❚❚ |
| July 14, 2023 | 5 (26.3%) | ❚❚❚❚❚ |
| Portrait | Name (lifespan) | State | Term start | Term end | Tenure | Party | Notes | Departure | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | María Antonia Martínez García (born 1953) |  Region of Murcia | March 9, 1984 | March 31, 1984 | 22 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | First woman serving as President of the Region of Murcia (in acting capacity). | Not reelected | [1] | |
| May 3, 1993 | July 4, 1995 | 2 years and 62 days | First woman serving as President of the Region of Murcia. Shortest-serving woman in the post. | |||||||
 | Esperanza Aguirre y Gil de Biedma (born 1952) |  Community of Madrid | November 21, 2003 | September 17, 2012 | 8 years and 301 days | People's Party | First woman elected President of the Community of Madrid. First woman elected president in a regional election. First woman to resign from her post. Longest-serving woman in the post. First woman to be reelected. First woman to be reelected twice. First woman to win by absolute majority. | Resigned | [2] [3] | |
 | María Dolores de Cospedal García (born 1965) |  Castilla-La Mancha | June 22, 2011 | July 1, 2015 | 4 years and 9 days | People's Party | First and only woman elected as President of Castilla-La Mancha. First woman to defeat an incumbent president. | Not reelected | ||
 | Yolanda Barcina Angulo (born 1960) |  Navarre | June 28, 2011 | July 22, 2015 | 4 years and 24 days | Navarrese People's Union | First woman elected as President of Navarre. | Not up for reelection | [4] | |
 | Luisa Fernanda Rudi Úbeda (born 1950) |  Aragon | July 14, 2011 | July 4, 2015 | 3 years and 355 days | People's Party | First and only woman elected as President of Aragon. Oldest woman to be elected as president. | Not reelected | [5] | |
 | Susana Díaz Pacheco (born 1974) |  Andalusia | September 6, 2013 | January 18, 2019 | 5 years and 134 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | First and only woman elected President of Andalusia. Youngest woman to be elected as President (39). | Not reelected | [6] [7] | |
 | Cristina Cifuentes Cuencas (born 1964) | Community of Madrid | June 25, 2015 | April 25, 2018 | 2 years and 304 days | People's Party | Resigned | [8] [9] | ||
 | Uxue Barkos Berruezo (born 1964) | Navarre | July 22, 2015 | August 6, 2019 | 4 years and 15 days | Geroa Bai | First woman to succeed another woman in office. | Not reelected | [10] | |
 | Francina Armengol Socias (born 1971) |  Balearic Islands | July 2, 2015 | June 20, 2023 | 7 years and 353 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | First woman elected President of the Balearic Islands. Defeated an incumbent president. | Resigned following electoral defeat | [11] [12] | |
| | María Dolores Pagán Arce (born 1967) | Region of Murcia | April 4, 2017 | May 3, 2017 | 29 days | People's Party | Only serving in acting capacity | |||
 | María Chivite Navascués (born 1978) | Navarre | August 6, 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years and 88 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | Defeated an incumbent president. Third woman in a row to be elected President of Navarre. | Serving | [13] | |
 | Isabel Díaz Ayuso (born 1978) | Community of Madrid | August 17, 2019 | Incumbent | 5 years and 77 days | People's Party | Serving | [14] | ||
 | Concha Andreu Rodríguez (born 1967) |  La Rioja | August 29, 2019 | June 29, 2023 | 3 years and 304 days | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | First and only woman elected President of La Rioja. Defeated an incumbent president. | Not reelected | [15] | |
 | Mae de la Concha (born 1954) | Balearic Islands | June 20, 2023 | July 6, 2023 | 16 days | Unidas Podemos | Oldest woman to serve as President (68). Succeeded another woman in office. | Only serving in acting capacity | [16] | |
 | María José Sáenz de Buruaga (born 1968) |  Cantabria | July 4, 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year and 121 days | People's Party | First and only woman elected President of Cantabria. Defeated an incumbent president. | Serving | [17] | |
 | Marga Prohens (born 1982) | Balearic Islands | July 6, 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year and 119 days | People's Party | Third woman in a row to serve as president of the Balearic Islands. Defeated an incumbent President | Serving | ||
 | María Guardiola (born 1978) |  Extremadura | July 14, 2023 | Incumbent | 1 year and 111 days | People's Party | First and only woman elected President of Extremadura. | Serving | ||
As of January 2023, since the approval of the Statues of Autonomy for Ceuta and Melilla, no woman has held the role of president.
The president of the Community of Madrid is the highest-ranking officer of the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the head of the executive branch. The office is currently held by Isabel Díaz Ayuso of the People's Party.
The president of the Valencian Government is the head of the Generalitat Valenciana, the government of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia. The president is chosen by the Valencian parliament, the Corts Valencianes.
The President of the Junta of Communities of Castilla–La Mancha, usually known in English as the President of Castilla–La Mancha, is the head of government of Castilla–La Mancha. The president leads the executive branch of the regional government.
The Ministry of Health (MISAN) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and executing the government policy on health, planning and providing healthcare as well as the exercise of the powers of the General State Administration to assure citizens the right to health protection. The Ministry is headquartered in the Paseo del Prado in Madrid, opposite the Prado Museum.
The Ministry of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory (MPTMD), is the department of the Government of Spain which manages the policies of the government regarding relations and cooperation with the Autonomous Communities and with the entities that integrate the Local Administration and those related to the territorial organization of the country and with the Government Delegations and Sub-Delegations in the regions and provinces.
The president of the Balearic Islands is the head of government of the Balearic Islands, one of the 17 autonomous communities of Spain, while the monarch Felipe VI remains the head of state as King of Spain.
The president of the Government of Aragon, also known as the president of the General Deputation of Aragon or, simply, the president of Aragon, is the head of government of Aragon, an autonomous community in Spain. The President is elected to a four-year term by the Aragonese Corts.
The president of La Rioja is the head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of La Rioja. The current incumbent is Gonzalo Capellán of the PP, who has held the office since 29 June 2023.
The president of the Regional Government of Andalusia or, simply the president of Andalusia, is the premier of the devolved government of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. The presidency is one of the three branches of the Regional Government of Andalusia (Junta de Andalucía), the institution whereby the government of the community is organized. The other two branches of are the Parliament of Andalusia and the Council of Government.
The president of the Junta of Castile and León is the executive head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of Castile and León. The president is the head of the Junta of Castile and León, or regional government.
The President of the Region of Murcia, is the head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of the Region of Murcia. Since 2014, no person who has been elected to two terms may be elected to a third.
The Mayor-President of the Autonomous City of Melilla or simply the President of Melilla, is the highest authority of the Spanish autonomous city of Melilla, acting as head of government and as presiding officer of the Assembly of Melilla.
The third deputy prime minister of Spain, officially the Third Vice President of the Government of Spain, is a senior member of the Government of Spain. The office is not a permanent position, existing only at the discretion of the prime minister (PM). It is a constitutional office because the Constitution provides for the possibility of more than one deputy PM.
The president of the Government of Navarre, is the head of government of the devolved government of the Chartered Community of Navarre.
The first government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was formed on 18 April 2004, following the latter's election as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies on 16 April and his swearing-in on 17 April, as a result of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) emerging as the largest parliamentary force at the 2004 Spanish general election. It succeeded the second Aznar government and was the Government of Spain from 18 April 2004 to 14 April 2008, a total of 1,457 days, or 3 years, 11 months and 27 days.
The second government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was formed on 14 April 2008, following the latter's election as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies on 11 April and his swearing-in on 12 April, as a result of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) emerging as the largest parliamentary force at the 2008 Spanish general election. It succeeded the first Zapatero government and was the Government of Spain from 14 April 2008 to 22 December 2011, a total of 1,347 days, or 3 years, 8 months and 8 days.
The second government of José María Aznar was formed on 28 April 2000, following the latter's election as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies on 26 April and his swearing-in on 27 April, as a result of the People's Party (PP) emerging as the largest parliamentary force at the 2000 Spanish general election. It succeeded the first Aznar government and was the Government of Spain from 28 April 2000 to 18 April 2004, a total of 1,451 days, or 3 years, 11 months and 21 days.
The second government of Pedro Sánchez was formed on 13 January 2020, following the latter's election as Prime Minister of Spain by the Congress of Deputies on 7 January and his swearing-in on 8 January, as a result of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) emerging as the largest parliamentary force at the November 2019 general election. It succeeded the first Sánchez government and was the Government of Spain from 13 January 2020 to 21 November 2023, a total of 1,408 days, or 3 years, 10 months and 8 days.