Spain's supreme court rules that Franco's remains should be moved - expert comment.
The Spanish Supreme Court has ruled that the remains of Francisco Franco should be moved from the mausoleum of the Valley of the Fallen to a cemetery at El Pardo just north of Madrid.
Professor Alison Ribeiro de Menezes comments:-
"In the midst of the UK Supreme Court's ruling on the prorogation of the Westminster parliament yesterday, it might have been easy to miss an equally significant unanimous ruling from the Spanish Supreme Court. It gave a green light for the exhumation of former dictator Francisco Franco from the mausoleum of the Valley of the Fallen and transfer to a cemetery at El Pardo just north of Madrid where his wife is buried.
"The Franco family had opposed the exhumation in the first place, but also appealed against the Socialist government's choice of relocated burial site, suggesting the Almudena Cathedral in the centre of Madrid. Although further appeals are possible, it seems likely that the exhumation will occur before Spain goes to the polls in November.
"Speaking at the UN, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hailed the judgement as the closing of a dark chapter in Spain's history. The far-right Vox party has condemned the Court's decision, accusing the Socialists of profaning Franco's tomb and electioneering."
25 September 2019