King Juan Carlos
shocked Spaniards by his announcement on Monday that he is to abdicate in
favour of his son Felipe. Juan Carlos who is 76 and who took over as King in
1975 after the death of Franco said he is stepping down to revive the monarchy.
While he is credited with helping the peaceful transition to democracy
following the years of Franco's dictatorship, in recent years his monarchy was
hit by scandals and corruption allegations. The decision by Juan Carlos to
abdicate has also reopened the debate about whether Spain should have a
monarchy at all. Thousands demonstrated in major cities across Spain on Monday
calling for a referendum on the monarchy. The United Left and Podemos parties
who won 20 per cent of the vote in the European elections have backed calls for
a plebiscite on the future of the monarchy. Meanwhile, it is expected that a
new law will have to be passed to allow King Felipe VI to take to the throne.
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