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.

[1][2] It succeeded the Carrero Blanco government and was the Government of Spain from 4 January 1974 to 12 December 1975, a total of 707 days, or 1 year, 11 months and 8 days.

[3] 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 party—the only legal political party during the Francoist regime—the 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).

[4] In the first cabinet since 1957 without the presence of any Opus Dei member, Arias Navarro went on to form a mostly bureaucratic government.

[5] The Council of Ministers was structured into the offices for the prime minister, the three deputy prime ministers and 19 ministries.