MADRID — The Cabinet of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain approved a proposal Tuesday for emergency legislation that allows King Juan Carlos to abdicate and hand over his duties to Crown Prince Felipe.
A vote is scheduled for June 11 in the Spanish Parliament on the proposal, which is expected to pass easily because Rajoy’s center-right Popular Party has the majority of seats and the leading opposition Socialist Party also supports the legislation.
Jesus Posada, who leads the Parliament’s lower house, predicted the law will take effect by June 18. Felipe will probably be announced king before lawmakers on that day or shortly afterward, though officials declined to confirm a date for the proclamation.
The 76-year-old king and Felipe, 46, participated Tuesday at a military ceremony outside Madrid as Rajoy met with his Cabinet.
Juan Carlos appeared frail as he emerged from a car with his son, pacing slowly with a cane to a podium where the two watched soldiers parading.
Juan Carlos is widely respected for leading Spain’s transition from dictatorship to democracy and staring down a 1981 coup attempt, but was hit hard by royal scandals over the last several years.
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Nothing about the protests?
Demonstrators in Oviedo, Spain, called for an end to the monarchy, which has been plagued by scandal recently (ELOY ALONSO/Reuters).
Nothing about Catalonia and the Basque Country wanting to break away?
More and more I realize the Bo$ton Globe is truly being written of and for the exclu$ive elite by wannabes happy to horn in on the parties.
I'm not complaining; were I a member of that cla$$ I would be very interested in what the Globe has to say. Problem is, I am not.
"King Juan Carlos of Spain abdicates in favor of son" by Raphael Minder | New York Times June 03, 2014
MADRID — King Juan Carlos of Spain said Monday he was abdicating in favor of Crown Prince Felipe, his 46-year-old son, explaining in an address to the nation that it was time for a new generation to “move to the front line” and take on the country’s challenges.
The king’s abdication, after almost four decades on the throne, follows health problems but also comes amid a decline in his popularity, particularly as a result of a corruption scandal centering on his son-in-law that has also illuminated the royal family’s lifestyle and finances at a time of economic crisis and record joblessness.
I think it is time to literally eat royalty.
Juan Carlos said he resolved to abdicate in January, when he turned 76. He said a generational change would open “a new chapter of hope” for a country hit by a deep economic crisis, while insisting that his son “represents stability,” for Spain as well as for the monarchy.
The king’s son, who will become King Felipe VI, is a former Olympic yachtsman who is regarded as relatively untouched by his family’s scandals. In May 2004, he married Letizia Ortiz, a divorced television journalist. Even before Monday’s announcement, Felipe, who studied international relations at Georgetown University, had increasingly replaced his ailing father on diplomatic trips and at official events.
The king’s abdication was made official earlier Monday by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who called Juan Carlos a “tireless defender of our interests.” The government is set to meet Tuesday to discuss the legislative change required for the handover to Felipe, which Rajoy said would happen “very soon.”
Or his own.
Rajoy also called the abdication “proof of the maturity of our democracy,” a message that was echoed by the leaders of Spain’s other mainstream parties.
Look at them close ranks!
However, some far-left politicians said Spain should debate whether to maintain its monarchy, with protests convened in Madrid and other cities Monday evening to call for the abolition of the monarchy.
I know, I know, I should be happy for the sentence.
Juan Carlos came to the throne in 1975, after the death of General Francisco Franco. He was credited with playing a key role in consolidating Spain’s return to democracy, particularly when he helped avert a military coup in 1981 by making a televised broadcast calling on soldiers to return to their barracks.
He has also provided a sense of stability in a country confronting separatist efforts in the Basque region and in Catalonia. Such efforts have recently gained momentum in Catalonia, where governing parties want to hold an independence referendum in November that Rajoy’s government has vowed to prevent because it violates Spain’s constitution. Juan Carlos has strongly defended Spain’s unity, saying in December, shortly after Catalan politicians unveiled their referendum plan, that the monarchy wanted a Spain in which “we can all fit in.”
That got a paragraph.
The king’s reputation has been tainted by questions about the spending habits of his 48-year-old daughter, Princess Cristina, and her husband, Iñaki Urdangarin, the Duke of Palma, after a judge opened a corruption investigation.
What, another money addict at the top of the power $tructure? What a $hock!
The Spanish royal family’s public standing fell sharply during the period of turmoil after the 2008 financial crisis, which also encouraged Spain’s media to drop its longstanding deference toward the monarchy and delve into the love life of the king and other previously taboo subjects.
Who gives a shit about sick elite perversions? We all know they are incestuous sickos.
Carmen Enríquez, who has written several books about the royal family and who served as the royal correspondent for Spain’s national television network, said the scandals were unlikely to have persuaded the king to abdicate but probably added to “the sensation of fatigue” felt by the monarch.
She added, “People are demanding a lot more transparency and accountability from the monarchy and all other institutions, and I think the prince is well of aware of this.”
The surprise announcement in Madrid is not the first sign of change in Europe’s largely ceremonial royal houses in recent years.
In May 2013, Willem-Alexander of the House of Orange-Nassau became the first king in the Netherlands in 123 years when his mother, Queen Beatrix, abdicated after 33 years.
Related: Dutch Post King For a Day
Then I abdicated it.
Later that year, Albert II of Belgium, then 79, signed a declaration of abdication allowing his son, Prince Philippe, to be sworn in as that nation’s seventh monarch since Belgium’s independence in 1830.
If I were a member of the elite I would be very interested in this stuff.
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"Will Spain flip over Felipe? | June 03, 2014
How big a role can royalty play in forging a national sense of purpose and destiny? One might have asked that question 39 years ago, when the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco chose to make the dashing young scion of Spain’s former ruling family, Juan Carlos, his successor as head of state. Now, four decades later, few Spaniards would dispute the idea that King Juan Carlos played a key role in preserving national unity while establishing a new parliamentary democracy. But the Spain that Juan Carlos, who announced his intention to abdicate yesterday, will leave to his son, Crown Prince Felipe, is hardly thriving.
Still reeling from the 2008 global economic crisis, struggling against the strictures of the eurozone, and seeking to appease Basque and Catalan separatist movements, some Spaniards are hoping that royalty can again come to the rescue. Others aren’t so sure, and want a chance to vote on whether the monarchy still has a place in 21st-century Spain. A referendum is a good idea, but Felipe seems well-positioned to prevail. And Spain is clearly in the market for fresh hope.
God, I can't stand reading this crap anymore.
The 76-year-old Juan Carlos carried an almost spotless image for most of his tenure, earning Spaniards’ respect after quelling an attempted coup in 1981. But recent scandals — such as a luxury safari trip to Botswana at the height of the recession, constant adultery rumors, and corruption allegations involving his daughter and son-in-law — contributed to a significant decline in his popularity. At 46 years old and an imposing 6 feet 5 inches tall, Felipe has been impressively untouched by scandals: He enjoys the highest approval rating among royal family members.
But Felipe, who studied international affairs at Georgetown University, will be dealing with a potentially big challenge as anti-monarchy sentiment grows, according to several opinion polls. Spanish ministers will be holding a special meeting to discuss the succession process, as Spain has no clear law regulating abdication. Protests and marches were planned in Madrid and other cities for Monday evening, demanding that voters get to decide whether to crown what would be Felipe IV. The youth unemployment rate is still around 55 percent, and more than a million people haven’t had a job since 2010, according to a report by Spain’s National Statistics Institute.
But just last week, the International Monetary Fund declared that “Spain has turned the corner,” in its annual report on the country’s economy. So perhaps it is more than fitting that Felipe will now likely find himself taking office at a transformative time. One can only hope that Felipe’s ascent will mark a break with the past, just as his father’s did when he ushered the country into the post-Franco era.
Hey, the IMF gave them their seal of approval. How could there be any problems?
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"Stimulus plan aims to boost economy
MADRID — Spain’s prime minister says his government will unveil a stimulus package worth $8.6 billion to boost competitiveness. In another sign that the country is emerging from five years of hardship, Mariano Rajoy said the corporate tax would be cut from 30 percent to 25 percent (AP)."
No wonder the Spanish are in the streets.
You can scroll through the Spanish coverage provided by the Globe and decide for yourself if it is worthy, for I am current.
NEXT DAY UPDATE: Spain’s next king speaks of unity in first speech
