At the start of his reign he played a crucial part in the transition from dictatorship to democracy. Now he is abdicating in favour of his son. But does Spain need a monarchy at all?
While any monarch’s life is far from ordinary, few have reigns as remarkable as that of Spain’s King Juan Carlos I. This week he announced that he will abdicate in favour of his son, Prince Felipe.
The 76-year-old king has been on the throne for nearly four decades and until 2012 he was a hugely popular figure in Spain. However, his deteriorating health and a spate of scandals have both taken their toll. In a televised address he said it is time for ‘younger people with new energies’ to continue his work.
Spain’s monarchy almost came to an end in 1931 whenrepublicans took control of the country. The royal family was forced to flee and Juan Carlos was born in exile in Italy. After Spain’s bloody civil war ended in 1936 General Franco emerged as the country’s authoritarian ruler. While he distrusted the monarchy, he allowed the young prince to return and be educated in Spain.
Franco grew very close to Juan Carlos and made him his successor, believing he would continue his despotic legacy. Yet Juan Carlos secretly held democratic views, and when he took over after Franco’s death in 1975, he lifted the bans on political parties and oversaw fair elections two years later.
This new democracy was threatened in 1981 when 200 armed officers burst into Spain’s parliament and declared a coup d’état. But the next day Juan Carlos denounced it on TV and the plot soon ran out of steam.
The king’s great popularity continued until 2012, when it was revealed that he had been on an extravagant elephant-hunting trip in Africa while millions of ordinary Spaniards were suffering the effects of a devastating recession. His daughter also became embroiled in a tax fraud and money-laundering case which further damaged royal credibility.
The crown now passes to Prince Felipe, a former Olympic yachtsman free from any hint of corruption. Yet a poll last year found 40% of Spaniards would like to see the monarchy abolished altogether. Is it time for this institution to go?
Crowning moment.
Some people look at the achievements of Juan Carlos and say they show how much difference a good monarch can make to his country. His ill health makes now a good time to hand over power, allowing Felipe to continue his father’s legacy of supporting all his subjects and act as a symbol of continuity.
Yet others say that while some of Juan Carlos’s actions were exceptional, a monarchy is no longer necessary. Spain is a now a mature democracy. With its unemployment rate still above 25%, this is no time for the state to be funding the display of a ceremonial monarchy. The best way to celebrate Juan Carlos’s legacy would be to continue in the democratic direction he started, and make Spain a republic.
Lecturer:Abdulkhaliq Mohamed sheikh Osman-Birmingham UK
