Spanish government spokesperson María Jesús Montero has said this Thursday that "there was no consensus or negotiation process" between the Sánchez executive and the Zarzuela royal palace regarding the departure of king emeritus Juan Carlos I from Spain and explained that the monarchy took "its own decisions" and passed them on to Pedro Sánchez in the normal private meetings that are held regularly.
Asked by press agency EFE why the content of these conversations was not shared with the main opposition party, the PP, Montero argued that Juan Carlos is no longer in the hierarchy of the head of state, and therefore his private life or issues that arise related to his person "are not part of the issues of national interest that the prime minister discusses with the rest of the political leaders."
With this argument, Montero was responding to critics who recalled that one of the keys to the abdication of Juan Carlos I in 2014 was the "fluid and constant" dialogue between then-prime minister Mariano Rajoy and the opposition leader of the day, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, whom Rajoy brought into the process "out of institutional loyalty."
Sánchez's desire for "discretion"
And on the protests from coalition partner Unidas Podemos for not having been part of this dialogue either, Montero commented that Sánchez also did not pass this information on to what she called the "interior of the government" because private meetings with the head of state are not shared.
Montero asserted that Sánchez had opted for "discretion" with regard to private meetings with Felipe VI "on destinations, departures or the ways in which such decisions are taken".
The finance minister also stressed that, "from day one, the Spanish government welcomed any initiative that the royal house was able to put on the table in relation to transparency and accountability," adding that the prime minister was "very frank and clear, and made sure he expressed the majority feeling of Spaniards, concerned about the information that was coming out" on the king emeritus's affairs.
Montero stressed that Juan Carlos has not been formally accused of anything and protested that some (in reference to Podemos leader and one of the four deputy PMs, Pablo Iglesias) were talking about the "flight" of the king "as if he were a fugitive from justice."
The minister reiterated that the lawyer representing the royal house had already clarified "that the king emeritus is at the disposition of justice for any matter".
Monarchy vs republic
Regarding whether a Spanish debate on a monarchy versus a republic would open as Iglesias had anticipated, Montero replied that the commitment of the majority partner in the government is to the "constitutional pact, which has had very important results in democratic and economic matters". She stressed that as the majority party, the Socialists "have the final word."