The Constitutional King Is More Than Just a Symbol

The article contends that Spain's constitutional monarchy, represented by King Felipe VI, is undergoing a subtle but significant shift towards a presidential republic, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez at its head. This transformation is marked by a perceived denigration and marginalization of the King's role.

Two recent examples illustrate this dynamic. First, the government, through Minister Óscar López, responded to the King's announcement of a visit to Ceuta by stating he would visit when "opportune" and in "full coordination" with the government. This implies the Prime Minister holds ultimate authority over the King's actions. Second, Minister Óscar Puente publicly condemned a video of Felipe VI shaking hands with journalist Javier Negre, calling the situation an "absolute ignominy."

These incidents reflect a deeper trend: the erosion of the parliamentary monarchy and the ascent of a presidential system. The author invokes the ideas of Manuel García-Pelayo, a former president of the Constitutional Court, who argued that the constitutional monarch possesses a "reserve of power." This power, according to García-Pelayo and influenced by Carl Schmitt, is to be exercised only in truly exceptional situations that pose an existential risk to the constitutional state.

García-Pelayo believed the King has an obligation to uphold the Constitution, particularly its "integrative function" in a diverse society. In such exceptional circumstances, the Crown and the King assume a prominent role. The article suggests that the current political climate in Spain is moving away from this principle, diminishing the monarchy's symbolic and substantive authority in favor of a more centralized, presidential power structure.