The Spanish Monarchy After Franco

Two days after the death of dictator Francisco Franco, on November 22, 1975, Juan Carlos was designated King according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. The king chose to skip a generation and name Prince Juan Carlos as his successor. Franco wanted the young Prince to be trained to take over the nation and maintain the current nature of his regime. Although Juan Carlos publicly supported Franco's rule, as time went on he began meeting with political opposition leaders and exiles, who were fighting to bring liberal reform to the country.

After Franco's death, King Juan Carlos I quickly instituted reforms changing the government from a once dictatorship to the current parliamentary democracy. The Spanish Constitution (Title II: the Crown, Article 56, Subsection 1) acknowledges the role of the Spanish monarch as the “personification and embodiment of the Spanish nation, a symbol of Spain's enduring unity and permanence; and as such, the monarch is the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces in a system known in Spanish as ‘monarquía parlamentaria’ or constitutional monarchy.” Some of the King’s many reforms included appointing Adolfo Suárez, as Prime Minister of Spain, instituting the “Ruta Quetzal” in 1979 to promote cultural exchange between students from Spain and Latin America, and legalizing gay marriage on July 1, 2005.

Juan Carlos’s popularity grew among the years. In a poll from November, 2005 in the newspaper El Mundo, 77.5% of Spaniards thought Juan Carlos was "good or very good," 15.4% "not so good," and only 7.1% "bad or very bad." According to the Spanish Constitution, the monarch is “instrumental in promoting Ibero-American relations, the "nations of its historical community." The King of Spain serves as the president of the Ibero-American States Organization, representing over 700,000,000 people in twenty-four member nations worldwide.” In 2008 Carlos was even considered the most popular leader in Ibero-America.

Thanks to Juan Carlos’s reforms and the institution of a monarchy, today the King of Spain exercises minimal power over the country's politics, but is still regarded as a vital symbol of the country's unity. The constitution states that the King has immunity from prosecution in issues concerning his official duties. In addition, offences against the honor of the Royal Family are specifically protected by the Spanish Penal Code. It is current tradition for the King to give an annual speech to the nation on Christmas Eve. The King also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Spanish armed forces. He is Patron of the Royal Academies and maintains close links with cultural circles and especially with universities. He supports the creation and development of new technology in Spain, promotes initiatives in the areas of economics, business, research, and social advances, as well as encourages solidarity at all levels of society in Spain.

Gunther, Richard. "Spain after Franco: the Making of a ..." Google Books. Web. 29 June 2010. <http://books.google.com/books>.

"The Royal Household of His Majesty the King_ Welcome." Casa De Su Majestad El Rey De España. Web. 29 June 2010. .