The two irreconcilable blocs of Spanish politics were portrayed in the investiture vote of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, with Congress practically split in half. Next Tuesday, when Leonor de Borbón y Ortiz, Princess of Asturias and heir to the Crown, goes to Parliament to swear in the Constitution, the photograph will be much less divisive. The groups that supported Feijóo—PP, Vox, Canary Coalition and Navarro People’s Union—will once again join the same side, but this time the PSOE will appear alongside them.
The defense of the Monarchy emerges as one of the last vestiges of bipartisan consensus. No matter how much the right assimilates the PSOE to the positions of its allies, the truth is that the socialists have made a common front with it in recent years to block any initiative that bothers the Crown. This has happened with the attempts to investigate the businesses of Juan Carlos I, the legal reform to limit the inviolability of the King or lesser proposals such as the one that urged the CIS to ask again about the Monarchy.
The demoscopic institute stopped including the issue in its polls in 2015, coinciding with the scandals of the emeritus king. The last known survey is from 2021 and was carried out by a private company, 40dB., for 15 associated newspapers on the Independent Media Platform. The results were not very encouraging for the monarchists: 39.4% were in favor of the Republic and 31% for the current form of State. Of course, there was no great popular interest in submitting the issue to a referendum.
The young woman who embodies the continuity of the Crown will encounter a very different scenario in Congress on Tuesday, supported by formations that represent 83% of the Chamber and 77% of the votes of 23-J. All groups, except Junts per Catalunya, have commented to EL PAÍS their position on the future of the Monarchy.
One Government, two visions. The PSOE does not stop proclaiming its “republican tradition”, but over it “loyalty to the constitutional pact” takes precedence, which “includes the parliamentary Monarchy”. The Socialist Group insists on defending “from the first to the last of the articles” of a Constitution that has forged “one of the most advanced democracies in the world.”
Without criticizing what has happened in recent years, the socialists believe that with Felipe VI the Monarchy “has known how to adapt to the times,” and the heir’s oath “will be one more step in that line”: “As one of “The main architects of the Spanish Constitution, we feel comfortable and identified in those constitutional coordinates and we wish Princess Leonor the best of future.”
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The minority partner of the acting Government, Sumar, will attend the event with his institutional positions, while the majority of the group will turn their backs on him. Yolanda Díaz’s training expresses her “maximum institutional respect” and at the same time asks for “maximum respect for the people”, since, she alleges, the debate on the form of State “exists in society.” She proclaims that republicanism “cannot be an act of nostalgia,” but rather a commitment to “a more advanced democracy.” And without pointing directly at anyone, she warns that “a Monarchy locked in on the right flank, which does not address social and territorial issues” will face “difficulties in projecting itself forward.”
Enthusiasm on the right. Given the heir’s coming of age, the right ratifies its unwavering adherence to the Crown. “It is an act of special importance for our democracy that clearly endorses the future of the parliamentary Monarchy,” points out the Popular Group. The institution “performs a fundamental job” and is “a guarantee of a stable and strong democracy.” The popular ones emphasize that Europe’s 10 parliamentary monarchies “are among the most advanced democracies in the world.”
The Popular Group rescues a phrase from the speech given in 2014 by Felipe VI on the occasion of his coronation, when, quoting Don Quixote, he stated that “a man is not more than another if he does not do more than another.” From it he draws a conclusion: “It is essential to defend a united and diverse Spain, based on the equality of all Spaniards, on solidarity between its peoples and on respect for the law.”
The King’s decision to propose Sánchez as a candidate for the investiture caused angry reactions in far-right circles. But Vox closes ranks before Tuesday and displays its “pride in being able to be part of a historic day.” “The oath is a symbol of order and permanence of the constitutional regime,” he declares, “the same one that, as we already warned in 2019, the enemies of Spain want to destroy, those who will not be at this celebration because they hate everything that symbolizes the Corona: unity, equality of all Spaniards and shared history and future.”
UPN also highlights the King as guarantor of the unity of Spain and says that at the current moment “it is more necessary than ever.” The Navarrese formation defends that the institution “is taking steps to adapt to new times” with “transparency and public control.” And he advocates for a constitutional reform to end the preeminence of men in the line of succession.
CC, on the other hand, without questioning the Monarchy, considers that “in some aspects it continues to be anachronistic.” He urges her to adapt to a new “political and institutional landscape and a territory with diverse nationalities, very different from that of previous centuries,” and to act “in line with the social, economic and environmental agenda of the State.”
Nationalist vacuum. The attack on the princess will be total by the nationalist allies of the Government, including the PNV, about which there were certain doubts. The Basque party does not openly challenge the Monarchy, but demands legal reforms “after years of controversies and inappropriate attitudes.” “If Zarzuela intends to remain stagnant, it will not have any future,” say sources from the PNV, who especially criticize the PSOE for having opposed its initiatives, such as the one that sought to limit the inviolability of the King to his public acts.
Further to the left, the rejection is forceful. Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for ERC, maintains that an institution hit by “corruption” has launched Leonor de Borbón as part of “a process of media whitewashing thanks to the appearance of a new figure who will probably end up just as worn out as her father in some years”. “It’s an abnormally eternal loop,” he concludes.
“A meaningless staging,” EH Bildu deputy Jon Iñarritu describes Tuesday’s event. “The Monarchy was imposed through deeds and even today neither Basque society nor the State have been able to decide what model we want.” Iñarritu affirms that the rejection of this “anti-democratic old culture” is majority “not only in Euskal Herria, but also in Spanish society.”
The BNG agrees: “Leonor’s swearing-in is part of a ritual that seeks to perpetuate the Monarchy outside of the popular will, because it was never voted on.” The Galician formation states that the institution cannot be modernized “because by definition it is undemocratic” and points out that its final objective is “a sovereign Galician Republic.”
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