King Juan Carlos Should Abdicate Say Majority Of Spaniards In Poll

For almost 40 years, King Juan Carlos of Spain has been one of the most popular monarchs in Europe. Recently, however, the King’s popularity has reached an all-time low as two thirds of the Spanish population believe the king should abdicate. According to recent polls, 62 percent of Spaniards have developed a negative opinion of the king over the past year. That is a startling drop compared to the first three months of 2012 when 80 percent of the country supported Juan Carlos. The same survey taken last year showed the king was still popular.

However, when the newspaper El Mundo, the publication that administered the survey collected the new data it showed that the people of Spain have become frustrated with the King and the royal family. The King’s daughter Princess Christina and her husband Inaki Undangarin have been at the center of a long running corruption case that caused Spaniards to lose faith in their King’s ability to handle his family and help pull the country out of an economic and unemployment crisis. The princess and her husband faced preliminary corruption charges In April 2013.

The princess Christina and Undangarin are under investigation for allegedly shifting funds intended to go to a nonprofit organization to their own personal accounts. The King’s popularity began to further diminish when it was discovered his majesty spent an excess amount of money on an elephant hunting trip in Botswana during a time when Spain’s people were struggling to make ends meet. Juan Carlos turned 76 on Sunday, in recent months the king appeared in public on crutches after having to have his left hip replaced.

The corruption scandals and the king’s health have caused concerns for the future of his reign. The king’s eldest son Felipe, Prince of Asturias is next in line to take the throne. Unless the king abdicates Felipe will inherit the crown when his father passes away. According to the poll the number of people in favor of the king’s abdication “surged” from 17 to 62 percent. Sixty-six percent have a positive image of the prince. Another 56 percent feel the prince could take the monarchy in the right direction and improve public opinion if he were to assume the throne.