Protesters in Spain call for end to monarchical rule
Protesters in Spain have called for an end to monarchical rule in the country, following the departure of former king Juan Carlos into exile this week in the middle of a corruption scandal.
A group of 100 protesters rallied in the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Sunday, calling for regime change.
“We have to clean up the system of corruption and we should start with the crown,” said Jose Emilio Martin, a bus driver, who was among the protesters.
Also on Sunday, another group of nearly 100 protesters rallied against the royal family in Valencia.
More protests are planned in Mallorca this week during King Felipe VI’s visit to the island.
Protests against the royal family have spread across Spain since Juan Carlos unexpectedly announced his decision to leave the country last Monday.
The former king’s decision to leave the country came in the middle of a scandal over his alleged acceptance of bribes from Saudi Arabia. He had abdicated in favor of his son Felipe in 2014.
Following his abdication and loss of legal immunity, the former king is subject to prosecution in a court of law.
Spain’s Supreme Court has launched a probe to determine whether the king had received millions of dollars in kickbacks from the late Saudi monarch King Abdullah over a high-speed rail contract.
So far, there has been no official confirmation of which country the former king has traveled to.
His lawyer has said the former king would “remain at the disposal of the prosecutors’ office.”
Still, many have said he should have stayed in the country to face justice.
A poll by SigmaDos published on Sunday in the conservative newspaper El Mundo found 63.3 percent of those questioned felt it was a bad idea for the 82-year-old ex-monarch to have left, while 27.2 percent agreed with his departure.
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