A king cannot be the guardian of democracy

rey-juan-carlos1.jpgAs we approach the 25th anniversary of the storming of Madrid's parliament, there has been a lot of newsprint expended on how king Juan Carlos 'saved' Spanish democracy twice. The history is well known: named as Franco's successor, Juan Carlos 'led' the Spanish towards a new constitution and era of democracy, with himself as permanent head of state and chief of the armed forces. Later, when Tejero and his Guardia Civil conspirators attempted to overthrow the government, it was only when Juan Carlos told them to back down that they surrendered. Thus, the king is central to the new founding myth of the Spanish nation: guardian of Spanish liberties and guarantor of democracy.

But can a king ever really be the guarantor of democracy? His status as unelected head of state is inherently anti-democratic. When Juan Carlos dies, his son Felipe will automatically become the head of state and armed forces. This state of affairs is a cheap compromise which has been foisted on the Spanish people. Rather than defending the sacred democracy of Spain, the royal family and the constitution which protects them are yet another success story of Franco's dictatorship. In so far as Franco overthrew the Republic and stood in 'as regent' until a king could be found, the current state of Spanish democracy - recognising Juan Carlos as head of state - is severely lacking.

As to the myth of 'leading' the country into a new era, this is also highly questionable. The process of composing the constitution was not overseen by the king. But it was directly affected by the threat of another right wing rebellion. The Spanish constitution's provisions for the king are therefore the failure of democracy. The constitution itself is not an aide to true democracy and should be changed, removing the right of the king as head of state. Only then will the Spanish have succeeded in beating Franco. Until then, every day, Franco and his legacy will continue to set the rules on how we may or may not be governed.

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February 20, 2006 | Filed Under Catalonia, Politics 

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