The Prime Minister of Spain, about the memoirs of the former King Juan Carlos: “It will not be one of the books that I recommend for Christmas”
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, was surprised by certain passages from the memoirs of the former King of Spain, Juan Carlos, published recently. He stated that “it won't be one of the books he recommends for Christmas.”
Pedro Sanchez/PHOTO: EPA-EFE
In the 500 pages of the book “Reconciliation” (Reconciliation), which appeared in France but will be published on December 3 in Spain, the 87-year-old former monarch particularly evokes his strained family relationships and “the error” of having accepted millions of euros, especially from the Saudi monarchy, writes News.ro.
Among the most controversial passages in the book are the favorable comments he makes about Franco, the dictator who ruled Spain with an iron fist after his forces won the Civil War of 1936-1939, but also about his own role in Spain's democratic transition.
Pedro Sanchez, who has not read the book, said in an interview with the daily El Pais – based on the fragments he could see – that this autobiography “it won't be one of the books he recommends for Christmas.”
“I will answer some of the passages that surprised me, about who brought democracy or not. Democracy did not simply fall from the sky; it was born from the struggle of the Spanish people, of ordinary citizens”the prime minister added.
“We restored freedom to the Spanish by establishing democracy“, writes Juan Carlos in his memoirs, who lives in exile in the United Arab Emirates.
The former monarch came to the leadership of the Spanish state in 1975, after the death of the dictator Franco, who had designated him as his successor.
He was the sovereign of the return to democracy, playing an important role in its consolidation, especially contributing to the defeat of the attempted military coup on February 23, 1981.
But his popularity plummeted after personal scandals, including at least one extramarital affair, and revelations about his lavish lifestyle in Spain starting in 2012.
