Editing Politics of Spain (section)

===Succession line===
The Spanish Constitution, promulgated in 1978, established explicitly that Juan Carlos I is the legitimate heir of the historical dynasty.{{sfn|Spanish Constitution|1978|loc=Article 57}} This statement served two purposes. First, it established that the position of the King emanates from the constitution, the source from which its existence is legitimized democratically. Secondly, it reaffirmed the dynastic legitimacy of the person of Juan Carlos I, not so much to end old historical dynastic struggles – namely those historically embraced by the [[Carlism|Carlist]] movement – but as a consequence of the renunciation to all rights of succession that his father, [[Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona|Juan de Borbón y Battenberg]], made in 1977.<ref name=sinopsis57>{{cite web|url=http://www.congreso.es/consti/constitucion/indice/sinopsis/sinopsis.jsp?art=57&tipo=2|title=Sinópsis arículo 57 de la Constitución Española (2003, updated 2011) |last=Abellán Matesanz|first=Isabel María|publisher=[[Cortes Generales]]|access-date=18 February 2012}}</ref> Juan Carlos I was constitutional king of Spain from 1978 to 2014. He abdicated in favor of his son Felipe VI.

The constitution also establishes that the monarchy is hereditary following a "regular order of primogeniture and representation: earlier line shall precede older; within the same line, closer degree shall precede more distant; within the same degree, male shall precede female; and within the same sex, older shall precede the younger".{{sfn|Spanish Constitution|1978|loc=Article 57}} What this means in practice, is that the Crown is passed to the firstborn, who would have preference over his siblings and cousins; women can only accede to the throne provided they do not have any older or younger brothers; and finally "regular order of representation" means that grandchildren have preference over the deceased King's parents, uncles or siblings.<ref name=sinopsis57/> Finally, if all possible rightful orders of primogeniture and representation have been exhausted, then the General Courts will select a successor in the way that best suits the interest of Spain. The [[heir presumptive]] or [[heir apparent]] holds the title of [[Prince of Asturias|Prince or Princess of Asturias]]. The current heir presumptive is princess [[Leonor, Princess of Asturias|Leonor de Borbón]].