In 1978, the Spanish constituent power finally opted for a restrictive regulation of direct political participation, in contrast to the wide reception that the first Draft of the Constitution had contemplated. An approach to the debates on this matter during the Spanish constituent process allows for an explaination about what happened in terms of the historical circumstances of the time and the factors related to the dynamics of the same constituent process. Observed from this historical perspective, the constitutional treatment of direct political participation obeys to transitory and non-structural causes. Consequently, its adaptation to the current Spanish society should definitely be revised. © 2018 Seminario de Historia Constitucional "MartÃnez Marina". All rights reserved.