Future and Popularity of the Spanish Monarchy

[LadyFinn]

An article in El Pais
"The new king has been prudent in Year I, concerned above all else to avoid making any major errors. And he has achieved that. He has made a number of gestures toward new social sectors. He has made contact with members of society from his own generation; he has not often been seen meeting with bankers or businessmen, who used to surround his father. He has had a strong presence abroad."
"After the next elections, he will have to establish himself as the king of all Spaniards, including those who want to do away with many elements of Spanish life and cause the most alarm for the more conservative sectors of society. As well as listening and responding to these new representatives, he must choose a major objective, one that will give his reign a sense of purpose."
THE SPANISH ROYAL FAMILY_ Felipe — the prudent king _ In English _ EL PAÍS

[AnaC]

New poll in El Mundo, and the news is great for King Felipe.

-61.5% like the monarchy as the political form of the state (up from 49.9% last January before the abdication)

-74.7% have a good or very good opinion of King Felipe (last January it was 41.3% for King Juan Carlos)

-Support for the monarchy has risen in the voters of every political party (in some cases spectacularly like the socialist voters and over 50% of Podemos voters support the monarchy) except for IU (by far the smallest of the five political parties whose voters were polled)

Felipe VI: El Rey recupera el apoyo de los espa?oles a la Monarqu?a | EL MUNDO

The data was gathered before the King revoked Cristina's duchess title, I'm pretty sure the positive reactions would be seen on the poll if it had taken place after.

[wyevale]

HURRAH !

God Save the King !

[eya]

Originally Posted by AnaC

New poll in El Mundo, and the news is great for King Felipe.

-61.5% like the monarchy as the political form of the state (up from 49.9% last January before the abdication)

-74.7% have a good or very good opinion of King Felipe (last January it was 41.3% for King Juan Carlos)

-Support for the monarchy has risen in the voters of every political party (in some cases spectacularly like the socialist voters and over 50% of Podemos voters support the monarchy) except for IU (by far the smallest of the five political parties whose voters were polled)

Felipe VI: El Rey recupera el apoyo de los espa?oles a la Monarqu?a | EL MUNDO

The data was gathered before the King revoked Cristina's duchess title, I'm pretty sure the positive reactions would be seen on the poll if it had taken place after.

But it is very interested to see the polls after the decision to King of revoked the title od Christina.

[An Ard Ri]

Great news for the King coming up to the 1st anniversary of his accession to the Throne.

[AnaC]

El País publishes results of a poll taken after the King took Cristina's title

According to the poll, carried out on June 15 and 16, 81% of Spaniards approve the way in which King Felipe is carrying out his duties

After one year, King Felipe VI bolsters support for the Spanish monarchy

[Marty91charmed]

Thank you AnaC for providing this poll! Of course he did the right thing, and it is no wonder Felipe is so popular! Great job so far...

[Thumbahlina]

Originally Posted by TODOI

is tha Spanish Monarchy stable I was reading a post below and some were saying that the spanish people want to get rid of the Monarchy and the Royal Family are not very well liked, is this true?.... I always thought the spanish Monarchy was one of the most popular ones in Europe

They ought to look at the Mexican, Texan and Spanish history and the influence they had in America and look at the royalty a little different for a second remembering how powerful Spain has been for so long before they go wanting to rid themselves of it's Royalty.

[TLLK]

Even outside of Spain there is interest in what is going on with the SRF. AFAIK the Spanish language channels in the U.S. cover some of the events in their news
broadcasts. I'm pretty sure that Felipe and Letizia's wedding was aired live on Telemundo in 2004.

[Duc_et_Pair]

This week there were fierce debates in Barcelona. Since the last local elections there is a left-wing coalition led by Podemos forming a majority in the second biggest city of Spain. Last week a buste of King Juan Carlos was taken away from a piedestal in the city hall, placed in a box with unknown destination. The Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the local opposition in Barcelona) took a state portrait of King Felipe VI into the municipal assembly. The portrait was placed on a chair, visible for all. Hastily a clerk from the council picked up the picture and removed it. The Council explained the bust of King Juan Carlos and the photo of King Felipe VI were removed "to trim the overdose of royal symbolism" in the city.

In the end of September there are elections in Catalonia and the separatists have announced to grab this opportunity to call for an independent republic of Catalonia, with Barcelona as capital. King Felipe VI, who regularly visits Spain, was at the same time visiting Barcelona, where he presided the investiture of new magistrates. In the presence of the separatist regional president, Mr Artur Más, the King stressed the importance of obedience to the democratic laws as an ultimate guarantee for the freedom of all citizens. "The Constitution is the fundamental law which has given us the most stable period ever in our history" so stated the King.

The words of King Felipe VI were immediately seen as an exceptional warning to the Catalonian regional president, that he is manoeuvering dangerously close to the limits of the state of law. The President remained silent in the presence of the King but outside he said to journalists that he felt not at all addressed by the King's words.

In the meantime the immensely popular former FC Barcelona footballer and trainer, now trainer of Bayern München, Pep Guardiola, has publicly declared to back Catalonian independence and the establishment of a republic. The city of Zaragoza has decided to rename the Pavillion Príncipe Felipe into that of Pavillion José Luis Abós, after a former local famous handball-player. The municipality of Montcada i Reixah (near Barcelona) has also removed the state portrait of King Felipe VI. In Cádiz the portrait of King Juan Carlos has been removed and no new portrait was ordered, now the empty space in the municipal council filled with a painting of art.

The Vice Prime Minister of Spain, Mrs Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría y Antón, has warned municipalities to respect the legal obligation to have a painting, a bust, a picture, etc. to depict the head of state. It seems the new left-wing Mayor of Madrid (from Podemos) has started all this by removing the photo of King Felipe VI out of her office in the Madrid City Hall. Mrs Sáenz de Santamaría sarcastistically stated: "Look, that is now their contribution to democracy".

El ‘efecto Colau’ contra sÃ*mbolos monárquicos se extiende | Cataluña | EL PAÃ�S

Needless to say that all this is pretty relativating the hurrah!-posts above about an assumed "boost in popularity". It is just where, when and who the pollers asked.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Duc_et_Pair

This week there were fierce debates in Barcelona. Since the last local elections there is a left-wing coalition led by Podemos forming a majority in the second biggest city of Spain. Last week a buste of King Juan Carlos was taken away from a piedestal in the city hall, placed in a box with unknown destination. The Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the local opposition in Barcelona) took a state portrait of King Felipe VI into the municipal assembly. The portrait was placed on a chair, visible for all. Hastily a clerk from the council picked up the picture and removed it. The Council explained the bust of King Juan Carlos and the photo of King Felipe VI were removed "to trim the overdose of royal symbolism" in the city.

In the end of September there are elections in Catalonia and the separatists have announced to grab this opportunity to call for an independent republic of Catalonia, with Barcelona as capital. King Felipe VI, who regularly visits Spain, was at the same time visiting Barcelona, where he presided the investiture of new magistrates. In the presence of the separatist regional president, Mr Artur Más, the King stressed the importance of obedience to the democratic laws as an ultimate guarantee for the freedom of all citizens. "The Constitution is the fundamental law which has given us the most stable period ever in our history" so stated the King.

The words of King Felipe VI were immediately seen as an exceptional warning to the Catalonian regional president, that he is manoeuvering dangerously close to the limits of the state of law. The President remained silent in the presence of the King but outside he said to journalists that he felt not at all addressed by the King's words.

In the meantime the immensely popular former FC Barcelona footballer and trainer, now trainer of Bayern München, Pep Guardiola, has publicly declared to back Catalonian independence and the establishment of a republic. The city of Zaragoza has decided to rename the Pavillion Príncipe Felipe into that of Pavillion José Luis Abós, after a former local famous handball-player. The municipality of Montcada i Reixah (near Barcelona) has also removed the state portrait of King Felipe VI. In Cádiz the portrait of King Juan Carlos has been removed and no new portrait was ordered, now the empty space in the municipal council filled with a painting of art.

The Vice Prime Minister of Spain, Mrs Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría y Antón, has warned municipalities to respect the legal obligation to have a painting, a bust, a picture, etc. to depict the head of state. It seems the new left-wing Mayor of Madrid (from Podemos) has started all this by removing the photo of King Felipe VI out of her office in the Madrid City Hall. Mrs Sáenz de Santamaría sarcastistically stated: "Look, that is now their contribution to democracy".

El ‘efecto Colau’ contra sÃ*mbolos monárquicos se extiende | Cataluña | EL PAÃ�S

Needless to say that all this is pretty relativating the hurrah!-posts above about an assumed "boost in popularity". It is just where, when and who the pollers asked.

The polls are based on a scientific, random sample of the entire Spanish population and are far more accurate, within their mathematically computed margin of error, than the isolated actions of republican, separatist or leftist mayors or municipal councillors in arbitrarily picked cities. In fact, rather than those surveyed in the national polls, the anti-monarchist groups in your post are the ones who can be considered a biased sample.

Having said that, the Spanish daily ABC recently had a report that claimed the Spanish Intelligence Services had uncovered an alleged joint plot by separatists (mostly in Catalonia) and leftists elsewhere in Spain to attack and discredit the King. Basically, what unites those groups is a common desire to undermine the 1979 constitutional settlement. The motivation for the campaign against the King, according to ABC, is that the anti-monarchist alliance identifies the monarchy both as the pillar of and the weakest link in the constitution. Hence, the rationale is that , if the monarchy falls, it will cause a domino effect that will bring down the entire Spanish State as we know it and force a new constitutional settlement which could be then shaped according to the interests both of the separatists and the left (which are not necessarily the same BTW).

I don't think the republicans will prevail though. At least, not when the King has over 60 % support and is backed both by the center-right PP and the mainstream center-left Socialist Party. The real extent of support for independence in Catalonia specifically is also unclear to me and may be inflated (or overstated) by the separatist side.

Besides, from a historical perspective, we should not forget how resilient the Spanish Bourbons can be. If I am not mistaken, they have been deposed three times over the past 200 years or so, and then restored again to power.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by TLLK

Even outside of Spain there is interest in what is going on with the SRF. AFAIK the Spanish language channels in the U.S. cover some of the events in their news
broadcasts. I'm pretty sure that Felipe and Letizia's wedding was aired live on Telemundo in 2004.

For obvious historical reasons and a shared cultural heritage (including language) , the Spanish royal family gets a lot of coverage all over Latin America. In fact, their coverage and high profile in Spanish-speaking countries is similar to the exposure that the British royal family has for example in the United States .

[Duc_et_Pair]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

The polls are based on a scientific, random sample of the entire Spanish population and are far more accurate, within their mathematically computed margin of error, than the isolated actions of republican, separatist or leftist mayors or municipal councillors in arbitrarily picked cities. [...]

These "isolated republicans" now have the majority in the biggest city - Madrid, the capital of the kingdom, where the Mayor (Mrs Manuela Carmena, a former Communiste, a former Justice of the Supreme Court even...) leads a coalition of Podemos and left-wing parties under the banner of Ahora Madrid

These "isolated republicans" now also have the majority in the second biggest city - Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, where the Mayor (Mrs Ada Colau, a founder of the Platform for People Affected by Mortgages leads a coalition of Podemos and other left-wing parties under the banner of Barcelona en Comù.

Sadly for them, Madrid and Barcelona, the two biggest cities are also the cities where the King regularly is. It is often visible that these officials at least bring, with a stone face, the bare minimum of requested "respect" for the head of state. Everything they do in the presence of the King is visibly done with "tja-I-have-to-do-this-but-I-would-rather-be-shopping-in-the-supermarket-now" faces.

[Duc_et_Pair]

In order of the Mayor of Barcelona, Mrs Ada Colau, a buste of King Juan Carlos is removed from the council in the City Hall: picture. This is Barcelona's "honour" to the man who firmly led after-Franco Spain into democracy.



Councillors of the Partido Popular (the governing party in Spain but in the opposition in Barcelona) placed a picture of King Felipe VI: picture. This was removed by clerks, in order of the Mayor.

[An Ard Ri]

Spain tense ahead of Catalan election

Spain tense ahead of Catalan election

[Duke of Marmalade]

! Spanish News Today - Artur Mas Ready To Launch Next Bid For Catalan Independence

Felipe VI fulfills his constitutional role against the independence challenge of Artur Mas: he intervenes publicly with gestures and pronouncements. He also acts discreetly within the philosophy inherited from his father, promoting dialogue and seeking consensus. He executes his work as head of state carefully, following the duties and limits established in the constitution: guarantor of the unity of Spain, chief of the Armed Forces, representing the country abroad and arbiter and moderator of politics.

Since his proclamation as King, Don Felipe has managed to balance his actions and public statements, seeking the dialogue broken by the independency leaders of Catalonia. He has tried several times, but has been stonewalled by Mas and his partners.

In this task of seeking consensus and ensuring the unity of Spain, Felipe VI not only has faced the obstacle of the independence front. The King has also been in a situation of helplessness by the lack of a clear strategy from the Government of Mariano Rajoy to seek political solutions that are not limited to law enforcement. The Crown can not play the role of arbiter and facilitator if it receives no assignment from Rajoy and a roadmap to advance towards a consensus that have contributed so much to the democratic development in our country before.

The Catalan question can not be solved by state attorneys. What is needed is a political language able to fit all the Catalans in Spain in addition to a re-organisation of the Autonomic States.
Cataluña: El papel del Rey | Opinión | EL PAÃ�S

[eya]

A really big challange for the King.

[An Ard Ri]

Tough times and perhaps some choppy waters ahead for King Felipe VI ,it will be an enormous task.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by An Ard Ri

Tough times and perhaps some choppy waters ahead for King Felipe VI ,it will be an enormous task.

The political responsibility to keep the country together doesn't lie with the King IMHO, but rather with the Spanish government. Just as a comparison, when the UK was threatened by Scottish independence, Queen Elizabeth II remained strictly neutral and never spoke on the matter, while the British government and the unionist political parties in Scotland took upon themselves to campaign against independence.

The main difference, as I see it, is that the British government opted for a cooperative approach, agreeing to a referendum on Scottish independence once the Scottish Nationalists got a majority in the Scottish parliament (note that the Scottish government could not have called a referendum unilaterally; only the UK Parliament could do it legally). In Spain, on the contrary, Mariano Rajoy and the Spanish government chose a path of confrontation, refusing to agree to a referendum which the separatists, pretty much like in Scotland, would have probably lost. That heavy-handed approach of the Spanish government then led to calls for a unilateral declaration of independence or similar unconstitutional moves by the Catalan government.

[Duke of Marmalade]

The difference to Britain is that when the British goverment allowed the vote of independence, the polls showed that only around 20% of Scots were in favour of independence. They thought, lets show how democratic we are, without the risk of losing Scotland.

But when the vote came, it was 45% YES and 55% NO and beforehand Cameron had to travel to Scotland like a beggar luring them to stay with lots of concessions.

So it is clear that Rajoy will not allow the referendum in the first place, because it is already past the point of a clear NO vote.