‘King abdicates to foster reforms demanded by country’

Published on 3 June 2014 at 13:32

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Putting an end to a reign that lasted 39 years, King Juan Carlos I stepped down on 2 June, reports El País. In his abdication speech, the 76-year old monarch declared that ”a new generation was demanding a central role [...] in the implementation of changes and reforms required by the current juncture". Felipe Prince of Asturias, aged 46, will be crowned King Felipe VI from 16 June, points out the daily, which adds

… in line with a precedent set by other European royal houses, Don Juan Carlos has abdicated because he is fully aware of the need for change […] at a time when many citizens are unhappy with the institutional establishment.

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