Khaberni - The release of the memoirs of former King Juan Carlos of Spain has shed light on his controversial political legacy, particularly his relationship with General Francisco Franco who paved the way for him to the throne, as reported by the French Press Agency.
The publication of the memoirs coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of Franco's death on November 20, 1975, a date followed by the coronation of Juan Carlos as king just two days later. The former king is now (87 years old).
Juan Carlos named these memoirs "Reconciliation", co-written with French writer Laurent Dubray, and published in Paris on Wednesday, with a release in Spain scheduled for December 3.
The memoirs cover Juan Carlos's journey in "leading the democratic transformation" in Spain, alongside details about his personal life, including his turbulent family relationships.
However, what caused the most controversy in the book is his description of Franco, who ruled the country with an iron fist, using terms that denote respect, saying: "I respected him a lot, and I appreciated his intelligence and political sense. I never allowed anyone to criticize him in front of me."
Criticisms
These statements triggered angry reactions, as the Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Otasun described the former king's defense of Franco as "disgusting", insisting that justifying an authoritarian rule is unacceptable.
Although many see Juan Carlos as a central figure in the democratic transition, the leftist culture minister emphasized that the real credit goes to "thousands of activists who confronted Franco's regime, were imprisoned, and tortured."
Former Prime Minister José Luis Zapatero criticized the king's sympathetic tone towards Franco, considering it inappropriate for the repressive nature of his rule.
The royal palace refused to comment on the memoirs but confirmed to the French Press Agency that Juan Carlos would not participate in the 50th anniversary celebrations of his coronation, noting that he had chosen to withdraw from public life since 2019, five years after abdicating the throne to his son King Felipe.
"A Fragmented Memory"
Professor of Contemporary History at Complutense University in Madrid, Narciso Martin, believes that the memoirs provide the former king an opportunity to present his perspective on his reign, describing the image he painted of Franco as "unique".
Martin noted that Franco expected Juan Carlos to lead the country toward democracy, although it was not part of his actual plans.
He added that "memory is always fragmented, and dealing with it involves risks, because when we remember an event, we are actually reconstructing its narrative."
Juan Carlos - residing in the Emirates - also discussed in his memoirs an incident that caused widespread public outrage in 2012, when he traveled to Botswana to hunt elephants amidst a crippling economic crisis in the country, along with acknowledging other personal mistakes, which his critics see as an attempt to polish his image.
