A few months into his reign, Felipe VI had to deal with the repetition of two general elections and the corresponding rounds of consultations in which, for the first time since the approval of the Constitution, the majority parties (PSOE and PP) They were faced with new formations that changed the Spanish political landscape. About to end 2022, the King faces a new election year with the addition of growing political tension.
The King has by constitutional mandate the power to sanction the laws approved by Parliament; His name and signature fill the pages of the Official State Gazette (BOE) without, among his powers, including amending, disagreeing, giving an opinion or even commenting on the content. It is surprising, therefore, that in recent times his figure has been appealed to to question the work of the legislature and even that of the executive or, directly, to question his continuity and that of the institution he embodies.
For years, from the beginning of the transition until well into his reign, King Juan Carlos was granted thaumaturgical powers and in the face of any crisis, especially after 23-F, the question of What does the King think? In this new reign (not so much after more than eight years since the proclamation) reign, from some sectors –mainly from the opposition– Felipe VI is assigned that role that solves everything that is not, nor was it, among the royal functions. One of the hindrances of the reign of Juan Carlos I is precisely that extra-parliamentary and often anti-constitutional interest in putting the King in the position to rule on everything. It is true that the previous monarch, unlike the current one, liked to be in all the sauces but it is also true that Felipe VI is more aware of the day to day, more informed, more interested and more dedicated to his work than was his dad. The difference is that, in his role as King, Felipe VI has adopted the correct path of leaving the leading role in political life to professionals in the sector, even at the risk of losing screen share.
The Zarzuela's pending issue, and they are working on it, is to change the image of the King as a political actor in public opinion to advance the idea that his role consists simply of being present and guaranteeing, as the maximum representative of the State, that Spain works. His visibility depends largely on the interest of the government, and fundamentally of the president, to see him as an ally and not as a competitor. The tendency of the current executive is, perhaps to preserve his figure, not to take advantage of all his representative potential, while, from the opposition, it is intended, in a clear use of his figure, to position him as a figurehead of bow in their own battles.
