Felipe VI makes no allusions in his Christmas speech to the situation of the emeritus but calls to “respect and comply with the laws”
“A renewed monarchy for a new time.” That was the motto that condensed the intentions with which Felipe VI assumed the Crown in 2014. It was then sought to breathe fresh air to silence critical voices with an institution damaged by the ‘Nóos case’ and by the figure of the one who for decades was its main supporter, Juan Carlos de Borbón. The King’s main objective was to regain credibility and the lost image with an “honest, integral and transparent” monarchy. This Friday, in his traditional Christmas Eve speech, Don Felipe once again reaffirmed his commitment to “be an example of public and moral integrity” at a difficult time for the institution he represents.
Juan Carlos I has been out of Spain for 17 months. In August 2020, the king emeritus made the decision to go to Abu Dhabi to try to mitigate the wear and tear that his son was suffering from the numerous information about his alleged hidden fortune and the various judicial revelations surrounding him. «We must be in the place that constitutionally corresponds to us; assume, each one, the obligations that we have entrusted; respect and comply with the laws and be an example of public and moral integrity, “said the King.
The foreseeable decision of the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office to close the proceedings against Don Juan Carlos in the coming weeks without opening a criminal case would pave the way for his return to Spain. The emeritus wants to return and has thus been transferred to his closest environment. The Government has left the matter in the hands of Felipe VI, who is going through a painful crossroads but who continues to distance himself from his father. The institutions, he stressed tonight in his address, “we must always keep in mind the general interests and think about citizens, their concerns, their concerns, be permanently at their service and address their problems.”
A responsibility that extends to the political leaders whom he appealed on Christmas Eve to “collaborate” and reach an “understanding” because, he said, they “dignify” and “strengthen” the institutions, and also generate “the trust of the citizens ». Don Felipe insisted that differences of opinion “should not prevent consensus that guarantees greater stability, greater well-being in homes and give families the necessary peace of mind about their future.”
Hope in the face of the pandemic
The monarch focused a good part of his speech on talking about the pandemic, as he did last year, and on conveying a message of encouragement and hope to bend it and consolidate the recovery phase started with vaccination and European funds. Although he acknowledged that “we have made substantial progress” in the fight against the coronavirus, the head of state warned that we must not lower our guard yet because “the risk has not disappeared.” “We must continue to be careful, protect ourselves and act with the greatest individual and collective responsibility,” he warned, before remembering all the victims of Covid-19 and recognizing the fundamental role that health personnel have played in the health crisis.
Felipe VI also addressed the social and economic consequences derived from the pandemic and expressed his concern at the increase in the number of people “in a situation of vulnerability”, due to the escalating price of electricity and the difficulties in finding a stable job, ” especially for young people. He asked to face the future with determination because “in what we do or decide from now on, it is at stake that we can continue to progress together with the most advanced nations or that we lose step on our way.”
The «main beam» of the Constitution
Felipe VI recalled that the profound change in Spain in these four decades of democracy and freedom “has been extraordinary” in large part to the “great agreements”, as well as to the generosity and responsibility “of the citizens. And he referred to the Magna Carta as the “main beam” of coexistence in the face of crises, “serious and serious of a different nature, that we have experienced.” He highlighted his inclusive spirit and appealed for the “respect, recognition and loyalty” he deserves.
In his speech, the monarch had a special memory for the inhabitants of La Palma. «Our heart and our thoughts continue with you. We feel very close, “he said and insisted on the commitment of all Administrations so that the thousands of people affected by the volcano can rebuild, as soon as possible,” your lives, your economy, and thus redo your projects with enthusiasm.
.