Princess's aunt stirs up revolution in Spain on social media
Aunt of Spain's soon-to-be queen tweeted in support of republican movement, calling for a referendum on the monarchy
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Prince Felipe of Spain
and his wife princess Letizia, whose aunt has sent a tweet calling for a
referendum on monarchy. Photograph: Paco Campos/Epa
Ever since King Juan Carlos announced on Monday that he planned
to abdicate, demands for a referendum on the monarchy have dominated
Twitter in Spain. But one might wonder why a tweet urging people to sign a petition on the referendum earned so much attention.
The woman who sent it was Henar Ortiz Álvarez, aunt of Spain's soon-to-be queen, Letizia Ortiz. "It's time for the people to speak. Sign and retweet," she tweeted one day after the king announced he would be handing over power to his son, Felipe.
She retweeted several other calls for a referendum along with a picture bearing a text that read, "this person thinks that the title of head of state shouldn't be hereditary".
When asked by one of her 3,000 or so followers about her stance, Ortiz Álvarez replied, "I'm not against my niece. Let's not confuse blood with politics."
The princess's aunt has made headlines before, for example in an interview with Vanity Fair in Spain last year where she described herself as "secular, red and republican", and suggested that Letizia held republican views before marrying Felipe. "I think everyone has the right to change, to take in new data, modify themselves and become what creates most opportunity," she told the magazine.
Ortiz Álvarez's comments rank her among the tens of thousands of Spaniards who flooded into squares in towns and cities across the country on the night of the king's announcement to demonstrate for an end to the monarchy. Many of them brought republican flags, shirts and anything else they could find in the red, yellow and purple colours of the 1930s Spanish republic. Some called themselves republicans, others said they were Juancarlistas – those who remain grateful to the king for the role he played in Spain's transition to democracy, but who dispute the need for the monarchy to continue.
The abdication announcement has created a rare opportunity for Spain to have a frank discussion on the monarchy, said the United Left coalition, which announced on Thursday morning that it had brought together half a dozen leftist parties in Madrid to devise a strategy to push for a referendum.
The group's first action, said Ricardo Sixto of the coalition, would be a large rally on Saturday in Madrid and several other cities as a show of force by 50 or so anti-monarchist groups. Other actions are to follow, including a "parallel act" on the day of Prince Felipe's coronation as Felipe VI.
This, a royal family spokesperson told El País, was likely to take place on 19 June in a secular ceremony to which foreign leaders and royalty would not be invited.
More than 90% of Spanish parliamentarians have voted in a new law allowing the royal handover, and Sixto conceded that that it was unlikely that any referendum would happen before the coronation.
He described the republican campaign as a "long-term battle" and said the 20% share of the vote held by leftist and anti-monarchical parties in last month's European elections showed that times were changing and that the issue would play out in municipal and regional elections next year. "The dominance of Spain's two parties, who sustained the monarchy for 39 years, is lessening. That will make holding a referendum easier," he said.
This week Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, dismissed demands for a referendum, arguing that the monarchy had majority support. Recent polls back him: one in January found three in five Spaniards supported the monarchy.But Sixto argued this was all the more reason to move forward with a referendum. "If Rajoy thinks the majority of Spaniards support the monarchy then he shouldn't have any problem in calling a referendum."
Rajoy's hesitation, he argued, played into the idea that the monarchy in Spain had run its course. "It's an anachronism. In an advanced nation, it doesn't make sense to maintain a tradition from the middle ages."
The new king and queen plan to dedicate July and August to travelling in Spain and countries including France, Morocco and Portugal. The royal family spokesperson said that once Felipe becomes king, he will outline his father's salary, title and role.
The woman who sent it was Henar Ortiz Álvarez, aunt of Spain's soon-to-be queen, Letizia Ortiz. "It's time for the people to speak. Sign and retweet," she tweeted one day after the king announced he would be handing over power to his son, Felipe.
She retweeted several other calls for a referendum along with a picture bearing a text that read, "this person thinks that the title of head of state shouldn't be hereditary".
When asked by one of her 3,000 or so followers about her stance, Ortiz Álvarez replied, "I'm not against my niece. Let's not confuse blood with politics."
The princess's aunt has made headlines before, for example in an interview with Vanity Fair in Spain last year where she described herself as "secular, red and republican", and suggested that Letizia held republican views before marrying Felipe. "I think everyone has the right to change, to take in new data, modify themselves and become what creates most opportunity," she told the magazine.
Ortiz Álvarez's comments rank her among the tens of thousands of Spaniards who flooded into squares in towns and cities across the country on the night of the king's announcement to demonstrate for an end to the monarchy. Many of them brought republican flags, shirts and anything else they could find in the red, yellow and purple colours of the 1930s Spanish republic. Some called themselves republicans, others said they were Juancarlistas – those who remain grateful to the king for the role he played in Spain's transition to democracy, but who dispute the need for the monarchy to continue.
The abdication announcement has created a rare opportunity for Spain to have a frank discussion on the monarchy, said the United Left coalition, which announced on Thursday morning that it had brought together half a dozen leftist parties in Madrid to devise a strategy to push for a referendum.
The group's first action, said Ricardo Sixto of the coalition, would be a large rally on Saturday in Madrid and several other cities as a show of force by 50 or so anti-monarchist groups. Other actions are to follow, including a "parallel act" on the day of Prince Felipe's coronation as Felipe VI.
This, a royal family spokesperson told El País, was likely to take place on 19 June in a secular ceremony to which foreign leaders and royalty would not be invited.
More than 90% of Spanish parliamentarians have voted in a new law allowing the royal handover, and Sixto conceded that that it was unlikely that any referendum would happen before the coronation.
He described the republican campaign as a "long-term battle" and said the 20% share of the vote held by leftist and anti-monarchical parties in last month's European elections showed that times were changing and that the issue would play out in municipal and regional elections next year. "The dominance of Spain's two parties, who sustained the monarchy for 39 years, is lessening. That will make holding a referendum easier," he said.
This week Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, dismissed demands for a referendum, arguing that the monarchy had majority support. Recent polls back him: one in January found three in five Spaniards supported the monarchy.But Sixto argued this was all the more reason to move forward with a referendum. "If Rajoy thinks the majority of Spaniards support the monarchy then he shouldn't have any problem in calling a referendum."
Rajoy's hesitation, he argued, played into the idea that the monarchy in Spain had run its course. "It's an anachronism. In an advanced nation, it doesn't make sense to maintain a tradition from the middle ages."
The new king and queen plan to dedicate July and August to travelling in Spain and countries including France, Morocco and Portugal. The royal family spokesperson said that once Felipe becomes king, he will outline his father's salary, title and role.
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