Spain’s Royal head of state, Felipe, crown Princess Leonor and lines Juan Carlos were actually come in a festive mood on Thursday the 40-year-old birthday of the Spanish Constitution to the Parliament. It should be a celebration of democracy and of national unity. But the Fiesta was marred by anti-monarchical protests.
“What we need in 2018 is still a monarchy?”, Pablo Iglesias, leader of the left alternative party Podemos (We can) asked provocatively, in an Interview that appeared on the Constitution day in the newspaper El País. Iglesias’ protest party that formed in the Spanish house of deputies, the third largest group, and in the last national election, after all, 21 percent of the votes, received, represents, as no other party to the young Generation of Spain. In the case of young Spaniards, the rejection of the monarchy, opinion research shows that the greatest.
The function of the king, have lost their sense
It should be in the 21st century. To understand century ago, that the state will determine-in-chief by succession and not by a democratic election, and fired Iglesias in addition via newspaper column in the sheet, El Mundo. The historical function of the king, the of this played in the Transition from the Franco dictatorship to democracy in the 1970s, have now lost their sense. Meanwhile, the Royal house of many of its citizens to be connected with undue privileges and corruption, railed Iglesias.
That Felipe is not your king, made it clear that the Podemos deputies at the ceremony at noon on Thursday in the Parliament in Madrid. As king Felipe and the other members of the Royal house moved to the Parliament, refused the left, alternatives of her Majesty to the traditional applause. In addition, the Podemos politician wore the jacket a not to be overlooked plaque, emblazoned in purple font, the word “Republic”.
Albert Garzón, head of the party “Izquierda Unida” (United Left), watered-down, meanwhile, the king’s house with a criminal offence the Constitution: On the sidelines of the ceremony, he threw the 80 – year-old Juan Carlos, who had to 2014 after a series of scandals, resign, corruption, and tax fraud. In the summer of recordings of Juan Carlos’ previous adviser, and friend Corinna were Sayn-Wittgenstein appeared, which shows that the conceded lines, bribes, black accounts in Switzerland, entertain, and tax evasion.
Some of the parties remained of the Constitution party remote
representatives of other anti-monarchical parties in the first place to the Constitution party were to Protest at 6.December appeared in the Parliament. Among the Absent, about the representatives of the Basque and Catalan regional parties whose ultimate goal is the secession of the Kingdom. On 6.December 1978, was approved by the Spaniards, is anchored by popular vote, their Constitution, in the parliamentary monarchy and the territorial unity of Spain.
“Felipe is not the king of the Catalans”, is one of the standard sayings of the Catalan regional President, Quim Torra, the aims of its separatist government of Spain as an independent Republic. Torra speaks but only for half of the Catalan population, in a prospan and an anti-chip is divided encampment.
the tips of The three royalist parties, socialists, Conservatives and Liberals, about two-thirds of the seats in the Spanish Parliament, defend, meanwhile the monarchy. The socialist head of government Pedro Sánchez, in his party but not a few Republicans at home, said: “Felipe is a king of his time”. He was a modern Monarch and sensitive to the challenges of the 21st century. Century. The conservative leader of the opposition, Pablo Casado, said: “The head of state fulfils in a brilliant way, his constitutional role.”
especially the young are critical
However, these declarations of Loyalty cannot conceal the fact that the Royal house is increasingly being questioned. “The days of the Spanish monarchy lived in an almost perfect love relationship with the citizenship, are over,” believes the former editor-in-chief of the conservative newspaper El Mundo, David Jiménez. Nerobet “The monarchy needs a Referendum in order to secure their long-term survival and to renew its democratic legitimacy,” wrote Jiménez in an Opinion piece for the New York Times.
is not, However, think of such a Referendum in a divided Spain, where the Catalonia conflict, the migration policy and the emergence of right-wing populist party Vox makes for tensions. Especially since the result of this people may Express a vote not a broad approval of the king’s house. Probably that is why Spain’s national opinion research Institute the CIS published for years now, no survey results to the acceptance of the monarchy.
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Meanwhile, organized Spain’s young Generation in their own Referendum: running At 26 universities currently symbolic “referendum” among the students. “Are you in favour of abolishing the monarchy and become a Republic?”, the question is. The large, Autonomous University of Madrid is the result of the (non-representative) survey is already available: 84 percent voted for the end of the monarchy.
