On 23 February 1981, in Madrid, as the vote of approval is held for the appointment of Leopoldo Calvo Sotelo as Prime Minister, a group of Guardia Civil officers under the command of Colonel Antonio Tejero bursts into Congress and takes the Members of Parliament hostage. The attempted military coup d’état, which fails as a result of the decisive address given by King Juan Carlos on national television in which he denounces the coup and urges the upholding of the law and the democratically elected government, is the final totalitarian uprising against the fledgling Spanish democracy. This photo shows Colonel Tejero holding a weapon. On his left is Landelino Lavilla, President of the Chamber.