After almost 40 years on the throne, Juan Carlos will remain in his country’s history as the monarch who helped smooth Spain’s transition to democracy in the 1970s after the Francisco Franco dictatorship. On the other part, the monarchy has now in Spain an eroded public support and Carlos’ decision tries to consolidate it. Officially, the King is stepping down for personal reasons. Some parties without big importance suggested a referendum on the monarchy. This was based on the result of a poll from the last year, when only 41 percent of the respondents had a good or very good opinion of the king. However, it seems that a such referendum will not be organized. The government must decide now the steps of the power’s transition. Juan Carlos has been for a long time a key business ambassador for Spain in the world. According to the Spanish Constitution, the monarch is the head-of-state and commander-in-chief of the Spanish Armed Forces.
