The first government of Carlos Arias Navarro was formed on 4 January 1974, following the latter's appointment as prime minister of Spain by Head of State Francisco Franco on 29 December and his swearing-in on 2 January, as a result of Luis Carrero Blanco's assassination on 20 December 1973. It succeeded the Carrero Blanco government and was the government of Spain from 4 January 1974 to 12 December 1975, a total of days, or .
Arias Navarro's first cabinet was the last to serve under Franco, was made up of members from the different factions or "families" within the National Movement: mainly the FET y de las JONS partyâÂÂthe only legal political party during the Francoist regimeâÂÂthe military and a number of aligned-nonpartisan figures from the civil service, to be joined later on by the legally-recognized Spanish People's Union (UDPE).
The Council of Ministers was structured into the offices for the prime minister, the three deputy prime ministers and 19 ministries.