Spanish Cabinet holds emergency meeting, passes succession bill
On June 3, the Spanish Cabinet held an emergency meeting to approve the Bill on King Juan Carlos's abdication and ceding the throne to Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon.
The procedure is carried out under Article 57 of the Spanish Constitution and the bill needs the approval of both houses of Parliament to come into force.
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| King Juan Carlos (right) and Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon. (Source: EPA) King Juan Carlos (right) and Crown Prince Felipe de Borbon. (Source: EPA) |
Spanish Parliament President Jesus Posada said the necessary legal steps could be completed by June 18 for the Royal Family to decide on the date of Crown Prince Felipe's coronation after consulting the Government.
According to observers, the bill could be passed by both houses soon because pro-royal parties hold a majority in Parliament.
In a surprise announcement on June 2, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that King Juan Carlos of Spain has announced his abdication after nearly 40 years on the throne and that Crown Prince Felipe will succeed his father. The King's abdication is an unprecedented move in Spanish history.
The future King Felipe will face some major challenges, not only the corruption scandal involving his sister but also the northeastern region of Catalonia's plans to hold an independence referendum in November.
Immediately after King Juan Carlos announced his abdication, thousands of anti-royalists took to the streets to protest, calling for a referendum on the existence of the monarchy in the country./.
According to VNA
