Juan Carlos Ier of Spain

Parliamentary monarchy

Thanks to the institution of this monarchy, the Spanish citizens lived the passage of the dictatorship to the democracy without the least bloodshed, without the least drama.

Parliamentary monarchy puts the king above the political parties. The vote for all decides every four years to carry to the capacity the legislative assembly which collected the electoral majority. After consultation, the king proposes the candidate at the position of president of the government which must then collect the confidence of the Spanish Parliament, the “the Cortes”. Consequently, a government will decide destiny of the country for best of the Spanish people.

Spain made a success of its decentralization, the king is the federator. It incarnates the traditions and the culture of its country and is guaranteeing Spanish institutions. He is an ambassador of Iberian know-how throughout the world, in particular in Latin America. In parliamentary monarchy, the king incarnates an alive democracy, it is the paragon of the unit of the country. The president of the government leads the businesses of the nation. Contrary at other democratic institutions, the sovereign prohibits any intervention which could block the control of the country. This does not prohibit to him therefore in the confidentiality, of advising, to warn or to encourage the government, thus exerting its role of referee and regulator, such as the Constitution authorizes there.

Designation

His/her grandfather Alphonse XIII was king of Spain until the advent, in 1931, of the Second Republic Spanish. The Guerre of Spain puts an end to the republic and is followed by the dictatorship of the general Franco, which exerts the functions of Head of the State until his death the November 20th 1975. The November 22nd, Juan Carlos becomes the king of Spain Jean-Charles Ist. XDDD It is born the January 5th 1938 with Rome, in Italy, where its family lives in Exil. Child, it is called Juanito (“Jeannot”). He leaves his parents and comes to Spain to follow a formation under the aegis of Free, which had laid down this condition with the restoration of monarchy.

In 1956, his/her Alfonso younger brother dies of a rifle shot in the residence of his/her parents with Estoril, Portugal. Officially, it is about an accident which has occurred during the cleaning of a rifle, but Juan Carlos being the only witness, of the doubts remain on the identity of that which held this weapon.

Free draws aside from the throne the father of Juan Carlos, Juan de Borbón, preferring to take as Juan Carlos successor himself in order to maintain the mode. During the dictatorship, Franco creates the title of prince d' Espagne (rather than Prince of Asturies) for Juan Carlos. This one starts to use its second first name, Carlos, to advance his claims with the heritage on the side carlist of his family.

The July 22nd 1969, in front of the the Cortes joined together in the famous building of Will square of San Jerónimo, kept by two bronze lions the leg posed on a ball of gun, the general Franco, of a thin voice, introduces Juan Carlos like the worthiest man to succeed the come day to him, as king, in the continuity of the Principes of the National movement (Movimiento). During a time, one lent to the Franco general a hypothetical intention to place on the throne the first cousin of Juan Carlos, Alfonso de Borbón (1936 - 1989), without no tangible element never coming to support this thesis (apart from the marriage, the March 8th 1972, of this last with the grand-daughter of Free, Carmen Martínez-Bordiú). Alfonso de Borbón had given up solemnly besides any claim with the throne of Spain, two years and half before, following in that the step of his/her father, Jaime de Borbón, duke of Segovia).

King d' Espagne

During the periods of disease of Free in 1974 and 1975, Juan Carlos is named Head of the State by interim. Near to death, Franco acknowledged the October 30th 1975 which it was too sick to control, but they will be only two days after the death of the dictator, which has occurred the November 20th 1975, which Juan Carlos will be proclaimed king d' Espagne.

However, Juan Carlos quickly promulgates democratic reforms, to the great displeasure preserving elements, in particular the armed forces, which expected that it maintained the State pro-Franco. Juan Carlos names Adolfo Suárez, former chief of the Movimiento Nacional, at the station of the president of the government. The showpiece of the democratic reforms is the law for the political reform (Ley para Reformed it Política) presented by the Suárez government, adopted by the Cortes the November 18th 1976 and by the Spanish people the December 15th 1976 (94.2% of yes). This law, of constitutional row (" law fondamentale" according to the pro-Franco terminology), creates the legal bases necessary to the reform of the pro-Franco institutions from the interior and allows that the June 15th 1977 the first democratic elections proceed since the introduction of the dictatorship. The Congress of the deputies (Congreso of los Diputados) and the Senate (Senado) resulting from these elections will be charged to work out, in particular, the new democratic constitution that the king will approve during a joint session of the two Rooms the December 27th 1978.

In 1977, the father of the king, Juan de Borbón, had formally given up its claims with the throne; Juan Carlos will thank it by confirming the title for count de Barcelone that Juan de Borbón had been given during its exile. The new constitution of 1978 will stipulate that Juan Carlos is the legitimate heir to the dynasty.

A military coup attempt of State surprises the Ore baskets of the Deputies the February 23rd 1981. Officers, with at their head the lieutenant-colonel Tejero, draw from the shots in the parliamentary Room during a session retransmise on line on television. One fears the rout of the democratic process then, until the king astonishes the nation by a short televised speech demanding that the army gives its unconditional support for the legitimate democratic government. The king had before called several chiefs of the army to order to them as a commander-in-chief to defend the democracy.

At the time of its oath-taking in front of the the General Cortes (Parliament), a Communist chief, Santiago Carrillo, had given him the nickname “Juan Carlos the Brief”, predicting that it would be quickly isolated with the other remainders of Fascism. After the abortion of the coup d'etat of 1981, this same politician, moved, will say to the media, God protects the King! If the democrats and the gauchists until had shown themselves reserved there, after the failure of the coup d'etat their support will become unconditional, a former chief of the II {{E}} République will declare: “We all are of the monarchists now”. Nevertheless, a current expression said that the Spaniards are not monarchists, but “juancarlists”.

Later, an attempted murder by members of the terrorist group Basque ETA will fall through with Majorque, vacation resort of the royal family.

Today, the king reigns as a constitutional monarch, without exerting of reality capacity on the policy of the country. He is regarded as an essential symbol of the unit of the country, and its interventions and points of view are listened respectfully by politicians on all the sides. Its annual speech the Christmas day before is diffused by the majority of the Spanish televisual channels. Since he is the supreme leader of the Spanish Armed forces, its birthday is a military festival.

The Spanish Constitution of 1978

Spain was a country without Constitution since 1936 to 1978. After the seizure of power, the Franco general legislated with blows of Fuero of los españoles , of " laws organiques" and of " laws of succession".

Not organ of the consensual ideal of the transition, the development of the constitutional text rests on a spirit of tolerance preached jointly by the party in power and filing oppositions. Those - PSOE and PCE in particular - accept the way opened by the " law of reform politique" and end up preserving the only heritage which appears acceptable to them: the monarchical system, signs that the only dilemma of topicality is reduced from now on to the alternative democracy/dictatorship and either, as in 1931, with the alternative republic/monarchy.

The July 25th 1977, the nomination of the Commission of the constitutional deals and public freedoms, chaired by the centrist Emilio Atard opens the constituent period. From this first a group of seven personalities emanates which constitute the Ponencia Costitucional : Handbook Fraga Iribarne, Gabriel Cisneros Laborda, Miguel Herrero, Gregorio Peces Bored, Jose Pedro Pérez Llorca, Miguel Roca and Jordi Solé Tura. After four months of work, " fathers of Constitution" complete the drafting of the preliminary draft which will be modified by nearly 2000 amendments presented by the deputies and the senators. Lastly, the July 31st 1978, the text is adopted by the parlamentaires. With the Congreso (the assembly of the deputies), approval and crushing. 94,2% are favorable to the " oui": UCD, PSOE, PCE and more the share of the deputies of Alianza Popular - of which Fraga Iribarne and part of the mixed group. With the Senate, the results are identical: 94,5% of " oui". As it had to be feared, the whole of the electorate is justified less than is to it the political community: a third of the voters does not take share with the referendum of the December 6th. Nevertheless, on the whole of the stripped bulletins, nearly 88% decide in favor of the text.

Finally the December 27th 1978, the king of Spain is presented in front of the Parlement - brought together deputies and senators - to ratify the Constitution

Ascent

Descent bourbonienne and victorienne

Bourbon by Philippe de France, grandson of Louis XIV the sun king Soleil, Juan Carlos thus descends in hot line from the count from Clermont Robert de France (1256-1317), the last wire of saint Louis (Louis IX) and who was recognized lord of Bourbon in 1283.

Victoire Eugenie de Battenberg (1887-1969), the grand-daughter of the queen Victoria I {{Re}}, married in 1906 Alphonse XIII (1886-1941), king d' Espagne. Their grandson, the current king d' Espagne gift Juan Carlos Ier de Bourbon (1938) is thus the back-back-small-wire of the queen Victoria, last monarch of the Maison of Hanover.

The royal family

His wife, the queen Sofía is member of the former royal family of Greece. They have three children: the infantes Elena, duchess of Lugo; Cristina, duchess of Palma-of-Majorque, and the heir, Felipe, prince of Asturies, future king Felipe VI and husband of old the journalist Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano. The king is also grandfather of eight grandchildren: Felipe and Victoria de Marichalar there of Borbón, Juan, Pablo, Miguel and Irene Urdangarin there of Borbón, the infantes Leonor and Sofía de Borbón.

The main home of the royal family is the Palais of Zarzuela.

Affiliations

He is honorary member of the Club of Rome.

See too

List of the current leaders
Descent of the Victoria queen of the United Kingdom

External bonds

Put Real de Su Majestad
Guardia Real de Su Majestad
Constitución Española

Others

The effigy of the king appeared on the parts and tickets in Peseta S and always appears the postage stamps from everyday usage Spanish and on the Spanish parts of 1 and 2 Euros.

Impassioned of veil, it takes part regularly in regattas.

The code radio ham of the king is EA0JC.

In September 2007 at the time of the 17th top ibéro-American, his intervention will be returned celebrates (by the media and of the sites of division of video) for its famous " porque No fixed you?! " against the president of Venezuela Hugo Chavez which was caught some with the policy of the former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

References

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