Wooden Bust of Manuel Portela Valladares

The victory of the Popular Front sparked rumors of a military coup. For the right, the electoral result confirmed the failure of the CEDA's possibilist approach. As Gil Robles had warned Alcalá-Zamora in December 1935, “if my policy fails, only violent solutions will remain.” In some places, such as the province of Ourense, Falangists and military officers sympathetic to the rebellion gathered, waiting for orders to attack. Meanwhile, demonstrations calling for the immediate amnesty of the October 1934 prisoners continued. Relying on the supposed threat these mobilizations posed to public order, on the very night of the election the right began to pressure the government to declare a state of war and hand over control to the military. 

Gil Robles was the first. In the early hours of the morning, he visited the prime minister, Manuel Portela Valladares, a bust of whom is shown here, at the Ministry of the Interior to demand the declaration of a state of war. Meanwhile, Franco was pressuring the head of the Civil Guard, General Sebastián Pozas, and the Minister of War, General Nicolás Molero Lobo, with the same objective. All of them refused. With the government route blocked, Franco began mobilizing sympathetic military officers while sounding out the attitude of various garrisons across the country.

On the morning of 17 February, the cabinet agreed to approve a state of emergency for eight days, placing control in the hands of the security forces rather than the military. President Alcalá-Zamora signed a decree declaring a state of war that Portela would only use if he considered it unavoidable and safe.

Visits from right-wing leaders: Antonio Goicoechea, José Antonio Primo de Rivera, José Martínez de Velasco, and others continued throughout the day. All of them sought to persuade the president to hand the situation over to the military, but Portela resisted the pressure. Even Franco came to meet with him to propose that he remain at the head of the government, despite the election results, with the support of the army. By the time that visit took place, Portela had already discovered that Franco had unilaterally declared a state of war in the provinces of Zaragoza, Valencia, Oviedo, and Alicante — a decision Portela immediately overturned.

Franco's insistence and actions reinforced Portela's conviction that resigning was the only way to avoid a military coup and ensure the transfer of power. On the afternoon of 17 February, he informed Alcalá-Zamora of his decision and agreed with Martínez Barrio on the details to make way for a government led by Azaña. Calvo Sotelo still made one last nighttime visit to ask him to hand power to the military, but the entire cabinet resigned on the morning of the 18th.

The premature start of Azaña's government damaged its legitimacy from the outset, and Portela was heavily criticized by both the left and the right. However, his departure put a stop to coup attempts for the time being.

PMC