A large majority of Spain’s MPs have backed a bill formalising the abdication of King Juan Carlos.<br /><br />Both the ruling centre-right People’s Party and the opposition Socialist party supported the bill and agreed to the accession of his son Crown Prince Felipe.<br /><br />Jesús Posada, President of the Spanish Parliament, announced the outcome of the vote.<br /><br />“The law supporting the abdication of His Royal Highness King Don Juan Carlos, the Premier of Bourbon, has been approved and will immediately be submitted to the Senate,” he said.<br /><br />The bill was passed in Congress by 299 votes in favour to 19 against, while 23 MPs abstained from voting.<br /><br />According to the Spanish government, the transition will need to be approved by parliament as it will require a change to the 1978 constitution.<br /><br />Although Wednesday’s vote focussed purely on the formalities of the abdication, for some it raised broader questions about Spain’s constitutional future.<br /><br />Prince Felipe will take the reins at a tricky time. His father’s abdication has provoked calls for a referendum on the monarchy.<br /><br />However, on Wednesday both Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Socialist leader Alfredo Rubalcaba reaffirmed their loyalty to the monarchy and the constitution.
