The abdication of Spanish King Juan Carlos I, announced June 2 by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, will probably leave bittersweet feelings. In the almost four decades he sat on the Spanish throne, King Juan Carlos simultaneously served as a bulwark of democracy and a symbol of a decaying institution. The monarch leaves the throne at a time when the entire Spanish political system and the institutions that sustain it have been called into question.
The mainstream media has amply described the king's role during the 1970s, but this does not diminish the importance of his actions at the end of Francisco Franco's dictatorship. When Spain's longtime dictator died in 1975, it was not a given that the Iberian country would become a democracy. Franco himself had been certain that the king would maintain much of the old regime's political framework.
It took significant courage and talent for Juan Carlos to negotiate a transition to democracy and the writing of a new constitution with the Spanish right and left, a process that took three years. The king sacrificed many of his political powers under the new Spanish Constitution, which elevated parliament over the monarchy. King Juan Carlos reaffirmed his commitment to democracy in 1981, when he opposed a coup attempt mounted by a small faction of the armed forces.
Even so, over time the monarchy lost its original appeal, especially as the economic crisis highlighted the gap between the lifestyles of the royal family and most of the king's subjects. Generational change and a series of scandals involving the king and his family further tarnished King Juan Carlos' public image.
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The Spain that King Juan Carlos leaves behind is dramatically different from the country he inherited when he became king. Some 40 years after the death of Franco, Spain is far wealthier and more democratic. It has joined NATO and the European Union and has seen substantial economic, political and social change. But the king departs at a time of deep crisis, one that extends beyond Spain's record rates of unemployment. The whole constitutional order of 1978, which defined Spain as a unitary state with a parliamentary monarchy, is increasingly being questioned.
His son and successor, soon-to-be-crowned King Felipe VI, is well liked by most Spaniards. But he will face a complex political environment upon assuming the crown. Most monarchies in Europe are struggling to remain relevant. The Spanish abdication will reignite the debate about whether Spain should become a republic, a familiar theme in Spanish politics.
And just as popular support for the monarchy is at record low levels, so is support for the country's mainstream political parties. In the May 25 European Parliament elections, combined support for the ruling center-right Popular Party and the main opposition center-left Socialist Party fell below 50 percent for the first time since the return to democracy. As the economic crisis lingers in Spain, voters increasingly are turning to smaller parties on the left that are critical of the country's ruling elites, including the monarchy. This is part of a broader crisis of representation throughout Europe sparked by the economic crisis. Growing numbers of people are rejecting many of the Continent's traditional mechanisms of representation, whether political parties, unions or business associations.
The new Spanish king will also have to deal with substantial threats of fragmentation emanating from Catalonia and, to a lesser extent, the Basque Country. Catalonia plans to hold an independence referendum in November, while the Basque Country has renewed its press for greater autonomy. To prevent the breakup of the country, some political parties argue that Spain should amend its constitution and adopt a federal system.
In the heart of Spain near the center of Madrid, just blocks from the Plaza Mayor and Plaza del Sol -- arguably Spain's most prominent spots for anti-government protests -- stands the impressive palace of the Bourbons. Given that the royal family no longer lives there, the palace now is largely a tourist attraction. Like the institution it represents, the building embodies a tradition critical to understanding Europe. But it also represents a political system that is becoming increasingly symbolic and less and less politically significant.
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