VOA常速英语:西班牙前任国王的流亡引发了民众对君主制的质疑

This man was Spain's king since coming to the throne in 1975, after the death of long-time ruler Francisco Franco, and then remained as the country's monarch until 2014. That’s when he abdicated in the midst of scandals including reports that he hunted elephants in Botswana and had a young mistress. Now the ex-king has left his country. This time under a storm of accusations of financial misconduct Spain's government had this reaction. We declared absolute respect for what lies behind the royal households' decision, which is to create distance from alleged cases that today could be the subject of judicial investigation. The political and legal pressures that led the former king to leave Spain have again raised questions about whether the country needs a monarchy. For some, the crown represents a relic of the past, a necessary transition from the franco dictatorship, but which now has outlived its usefulness. He was put there and there he stayed and no one has questioned it. I'm an anti-monarchist 100 percent. I think the monarchy is an anachronism and does not belong in our time.

Others see Juan Carlos as the one who ushered Spain into becoming a modern democratic country after decades of dictatorship under Franco. If it wasn't for him we wouldn't have a democracy. There are also those who think the monarchy's future should be decided by a referendum. What's a better way to move on ahead another 40 years than to at least let the people vote on it? While the possibility of a referendum is discussed on the streets, it so far appears unlikely. Conservatives see the monarchy as a guarantor of spains territorial integrity. There is much fear that the Basque country and Catalonia will take advantage of a situation like this. There are those who are calling for a referendum on the monarchy or for a republic, and there are those who are calling for another type of referendum, and that is why it is so difficult to move forward in this sense. News reports say it was in an effort to protect the reign of his son King Felipe that the aging former monarch left his homeland for portugal and then to the Dominican Republic. The coming days and the outcome of any investigations may determine what the future holds for the throne of what was once one of the worlds great empires. For Alfonso Biato in Barcelona, I'm John Speer VOA news