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Princess Leonor's Future Role: Heir or Spare? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Ana Maria Ruhl   
Sunday, 08 October 2006


Unfortunately, as with all political agendas, it will be a long and complicated process for the change to take place. Presidente del Gobierno (President of the Government) Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and his Partido Socialista Obrero Español (Spanish Socialist Labour Party) government desire "to eliminate this vestige of discrimination via a constitutional amendment and to make the reform a priority."

Mariano Rajoy, the leader of the Partido Popular (leader of the opposition in the Cortes Generales), “considers 2008 too soon to reform the Spanish Constitution.” Mr. Rajoy has said that his party would “also support the plans to change the constitution to reflect equality in the line of succession to the throne between the sexes.”

According to Deutsche Presse-Agentur writer, Sinikka Tarvainen: “The process of amending the constitution is very complicated. Changing the rules governing the right of succession would require nothing less than two-thirds approval by the lower house of parliament and senate, dissolution of parliament, new elections, two-thirds approval by the new parliament and senate, and, finally, a referendum."

"The government fears that the referendum could become a popularity test for the monarchy. The government is hoping to dodge the problem by submitting several constitutional amendments to the referendum simultaneously, but that could lead to problems with the opposition conservatives, who are
against some of the proposed amendments, such as a reform of the senate.”




The irony of the situation regarding the succession law involves the Spanish constitution that addresses the equality issue.

Part I (Fundamental Rights and Duties) Chapter 2 (Rights and freedoms) Section 14 states the following:

"Spaniards are equal before the law and may not in any way be discriminated against on account of birth, race, sex, religion, opinion or any other personal or social condition or circumstance."

Maybe one of Spain's best-selling newspapers, El Mundo, best summed up the succession problem.

Following the announcement of Princess Letizia's pregnancy, the paper published a cartoon depicting Princess Leonor grabbing her smiling father’s tie and saying "change constitution fast."

It is a sentiment with which many Crown Princesses past and present would likely concur.


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Name: Ana Maria Comment:
Yes, it would be a complication for Felipe if the succession law favoring full cognatic primogeniture was placed in immediate effect, but I don't think Felipe has any worries in that regard. If the Cortes Generales proceeds with the succession changes, it will take a similar approach as the government in Norway which changed the succession laws to favor Princess Ingrid, but did not remove Crown Prince Haakon as heir apparent.
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Name: Diana Wessler Comment:
What a lovely baby! How sweet!
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Name: Pamela Comment:
No, I don't think there is any real conflict there. It was just the "way things were done": boys came first in line. It's the same with the British succession laws, but the issue hasn't come up in our lifetimes as the Queen only had a sister and subsequent generations have produced boys, conveniently, at the right times.

The Spanish royal family, I think, see the need to set an example for equality, which is already present in laws (if not in practice) for the rest of us.

Where the complication really arises is that the heir, Leonor's dad, Felipe, is himself the youngest child with two older sisters. If the rules were to be changed with immediate effect, he runs the risk of losing his place in the line.

Personally, I do not think there is any reason to worry. The annoncement that Letizia is pregnant again was made only six weeks into her pregnancy, which clearly breaks with the usual royal protocol of not announcing it before three months.

It has been said that the reason she is currently very thin is as a result of lots of nausea and sickness. It is inferred that these same "molestations" of early pregnancy are also the reason for that early announcement, so everyone understands why she has had to miss engagements.

Although I have no personal experience, I have never yet made a wrong guess about an impending birth (grin) and I am willing to bet - on the basis of symptoms bad enough to warrant such action - that this baby will also be a girl.
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Name: Trudie Comment:
Sounds like Spain has a conflict within it's own Constitution.
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