Spaniards over the age of 50 saw how Juan Carlos steered the country to democracy and therefore have respect for the monarchical system. However, 60% of the population have little affinity to the monarchy and those on the far left would rather see it abolished. The 8.3m euro budget for the royal family is seen by many as a drain on the economy for little or no return.
The main players are the PP and the PSOE. An absolute majority in the Congress of Deputies is required to pass the law needed to allow Filipe to accede to the throne. Even though the Socialists have strong republican roots, their leader says that they will support Filipe. Their vote, along with the majority PP would carry the decision through and allow the accession to take place on the 18th June.
For the PP, Rajoy says that, if the will of the people is to return to a republican model, then he will not go against it. Does that mean that he is prepared to offer a referendum?
Clearly he is not going to be swayed by the public protests. On Tuesday he said, "I think that the monarchy in Spain has the support of the majority," he said. "If someone doesn't like that, they can propose a constitutional reform. You have the perfect right to do so. But what you cannot do in a democracy is bypass the law.
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