Editing Juan Carlos I (section)

=== Later role in Spanish politics ===
[[File:5000pelas.JPG|thumb|right|300px|A 5,000-[[Spanish peseta]] note bearing the image of King Juan Carlos]]
[[File:Vladimir Putin with Juan Carlos I-2.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Meeting of Juan Carlos and Sofía with [[Vladimir Putin]] and [[Lyudmila Putina]] in 2000 during an official state visit of the latter to Spain]]
[[File:Andrus Ansip, Juan Carlos I.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Juan Carlos with Estonian Prime Minister [[Andrus Ansip]] in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]] in May 2009]]
[[File:Cumbre Iberoamericana 2007.jpg|thumb|right|300px|2007 [[Ibero-American Summit]] in Santiago de Chile]]

The [[1982 Spanish general election|victory of the PSOE in 1982 under González]] marked the effective end of the King's active involvement in Spanish politics. González governed for 14 years, longer than any other democratically elected Prime Minister. His administration helped consolidate Spanish democracy and thus maintained the stability of the nation.

On paper, Juan Carlos retained fairly extensive [[reserve power]]s. He was the guardian of the Constitution and was responsible for ensuring that it was obeyed. In practice, since the passage of the Constitution (and especially since 1982), he took a mostly non-partisan and representative role, acting almost entirely on the advice of the government. However, he commanded great [[moral authority]] as an essential symbol of the country's unity.

Under the Constitution, the King has immunity from prosecution in matters relating to his official duties. Consequently, he exercised most of his powers through the ministers; his acts as King (and not as a citizen) were not valid unless countersigned by a minister, who became politically responsible for the act in question.

As head of the Spanish state, Juan Carlos "held political power, gave his opinion and exerted his influence in the economic sphere, for example, in the area of company mergers or public policy during the transition period," analyses journalist [[Ana Pardo de Vera|Ana Pardo]].<ref name=":3" />

The honour of the royal family is specifically protected from insult by the [[Spanish Penal Code]]. Under this protection, Basque independentist [[Arnaldo Otegi]]<ref name="BBCslander">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4407134.stm Basque convicted for king insult], ''[[BBC News]]'', 4 November 2005. Retrieved 29 December 2007.</ref> and cartoonists from ''[[El Jueves]]'' were tried and punished.

The King gave an annual speech to the nation on [[Christmas Eve]] and was, as King, the [[commander-in-chief]] of the Spanish armed forces.

In October 1990, Juan Carlos visited the [[Chile]]an city of [[Valdivia]] amidst the beginning of the [[Chilean transition to democracy]]. While he and the Queen were cheered by some, groups of indigenous [[Mapuche]]s approached the king some to protest past colonialism and others to have the King ratify past Mapuche-Spanish treaties. According to ''[[El País]]'' political infighting between Mapuches prevented Juan Carlos from hosting an official meeting with Mapuche representatives.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Una protesta mapuche no perturbó la visita real a Valdivia|url=https://elpais.com/diario/1990/10/21/espana/656463611_850215.html|last=Cembrero|first=Ignacio|date=1990-10-21|access-date=2021-07-03|work=[[El País]]|language=Spanish}}</ref>

In July 2000, Juan Carlos was the target of an enraged protester when former priest [[Juan María Fernández y Krohn]], who had once attacked [[Pope John Paul II]], breached security and attempted to approach the king.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gva.be/dossiers/-k/koningshuis/actua2000/actua147.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080317085858/http://www.gva.be/dossiers/-k/koningshuis/actua2000/actua147.asp |archive-date=17 March 2008 |title='Belager' koning Albert komt er goedkoop vanaf |last=Cardyn |first=Hans |publisher=Gazet Van Antwerpen |access-date=29 December 2007 |language=nl}}</ref>

When the media asked Juan Carlos in 2005 whether he would endorse the bill legalising [[Same-sex marriage in Spain|same-sex marriage]] that was then being debated in the ''Cortes Generales'', he answered ''"Soy el Rey de España y no el de Bélgica"'' ("I am the King of Spain, not of Belgium"){{spaced ndash}}a reference to King [[Baudouin of Belgium]], who had refused to sign the Belgian law legalising abortion.<ref>{{cite news |title=Don Juan Carlos, sobre el matrimonio gay: 'Soy el Rey de España y no el de Bélgica' |work=El Mundo |date=13 May 2006 |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2005/05/12/espana/1115917538.html |access-date=8 January 2007 |language=es}}</ref> The King gave his [[Royal Assent]] to Law 13/2005 on 1 July 2005; the law legalising same-sex marriage was [[gazette]]d in the ''[[Boletín Oficial del Estado]]'' on 2 July, and came into effect on 3 July.<ref>{{cite web |title=Disposiciones Generales |publisher=Boletin Oficial del Estado |date=2 June 2005 |url=http://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2005/07/02/pdfs/A23632-23634.pdf |access-date=8 January 2007 |language=es}}</ref>

According to a poll in the newspaper ''[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]]'' in November 2005, 77.5% of Spaniards thought Juan Carlos was "good or very good", 15.4% "not so good", and only 7.1% "bad or very bad". Even so, the issue of the monarchy re-emerged on 28 September 2007 as photos of the king were burnt in public in [[Catalonia]] by small groups of protesters wanting the restoration of the Republic.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=15269 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201063734/http://eux.tv/article.aspx?articleId=15269 |archive-date=1 December 2008 |title=Spanish royals worried about protests against monarchy |publisher=EUX.TV |last=Tarvainen |first=Sinikka |date=28 September 2007 |access-date=29 December 2007}}</ref>

==== 2007 Ibero-American Summit ====
{{Main|¿Por qué no te callas?}}
In November 2007, at the [[Ibero-American Summit]] in [[Santiago]], during a heated exchange, Juan Carlos interrupted [[List of Presidents of Venezuela|Venezuelan President]] [[Hugo Chávez]], saying, "''[[¿Por qué no te callas?]]''" ("Why don't you shut up?"). Chávez had been interrupting the Spanish Prime Minister, [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]], while the latter was defending his predecessor and political opponent, [[José María Aznar]], after Chávez had referred to Aznar as a fascist and "less human than snakes". The King shortly afterwards left the hall when President [[Daniel Ortega]] of Nicaragua accused Spain of intervention in his country's elections and complained about some Spanish energy companies working in Nicaragua.<ref name="antena3-20071111">{{cite web |url=http://www.antena3.com/a3noticias/servlet/Noticias?destino=../a3n/noticia/noticia.jsp&sidicom=si&id=13286798 |title=El Rey Don Juan Carlos a Hugo Chávez: "¿Por qué no te callas?" |access-date=11 November 2007 |publisher=[[Antena 3 (Spain)|Antena 3]] | date=11 November 2007 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071112090430/http://www.antena3.com/a3noticias/servlet/Noticias?destino=..%2Fa3n%2Fnoticia%2Fnoticia.jsp&sidicom=si&id=13286798 |archive-date=12 November 2007}} ("King Juan Carlos to Hugo Chávez: 'Why don't you shut up?'")</ref> This was an unprecedented diplomatic incident and a rare display of public anger by the King.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=457570&idseccio_PK=1007 |title=Nunca se había visto al Rey tan enfadado en público |date=10 November 2007 |access-date=10 November 2007 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208073548/http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=457570&idseccio_PK=1007 |archive-date=8 December 2008}} ("Never has the King been seen so angry in public")</ref>

==== Budget of the royal house ====
Juan Carlos detailed for the first time in 2011 the yearly royal budget of €8.3&nbsp;million, excluding expenses such as the electricity bill, paid by the State.<ref>{{cite news|last=Galaz|first=Mábel|date=29 December 2011|title=El Rey cuenta su salario: 292.752 euros|newspaper=[[El País]]|publisher=[[Prisa]]|location=Madrid|url=http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2011/12/28/actualidad/1325105881_885673.html|access-date=29 May 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=28 December 2011|title=Desglose presupuestario|language=es|work=[[Casa de Su Majestad el Rey de España]]|url=http://www.casareal.es/noticias/news/20111228_desglose_presupuestario-ides-idweb.html|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120813023820/http://www.casareal.es/noticias/news/20111228_desglose_presupuestario-ides-idweb.html|archive-date=13 August 2012}}</ref>

==== Botswana hunting trip ====
In April 2012, Juan Carlos faced criticism for an elephant-hunting trip in [[Botswana]].<ref name="guardian120415">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/15/spain-king-juan-carlos-hunting |title=Spain's King Juan Carlos under fire over elephant hunting trip |first=Giles |last=Tremlett |work=The Guardian |date=15 April 2012 |location=London}}</ref><ref name="tg120412">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9204680/King-Juan-Carlos-of-Spain-operated-on-after-elephant-hunting-accident..html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/spain/9204680/King-Juan-Carlos-of-Spain-operated-on-after-elephant-hunting-accident..html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=King Juan Carlos of Spain operated on after 'elephant hunting' accident. |first=Fiona |last=Govan |work=The Daily Telegraph |date=14 April 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="nyt120415">{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/17/world/europe/king-of-spain-has-hip-surgery-after-hunting-trip.html |title=Spanish King's Hip Surgery Follows Controversial Hunting Trip |first=Raphael |last=Minder |work=The New York Times |date=15 April 2012}}</ref> The public found out about the trip only after the King injured himself and a special aircraft was sent to bring him home.<ref>[https://www.economist.com/news/europe/21603486-rights-wrongs-abdication-and-legacy-king-juan-carlos-winds-change Winds of change: The rights, wrongs, abdication and legacy of King Juan Carlos], ''The Economist''.</ref> Spanish officials stated that the expenses of the trip were not paid by taxpayers or by the palace, but by Mohamed Eyad Kayali, a businessman of [[Syrian people|Syrian]] origin. Cayo Lara Moya of the United Left party said the King's trip "demonstrated a lack of ethics and respect toward many people in this country who are suffering a lot"<ref name="nyt120415" /> while Tomás Gómez of the Socialist party said Juan Carlos should choose between "public responsibilities or an abdication".<ref name="bbcrow" /> In April 2012, Spain's unemployment was at 23% and nearly 50% for young workers.<ref name="ap120415" /> ''[[El País]]'' estimated the total cost of a hunting trip at €44,000, about twice the average annual salary in Spain.<ref name="ap120415">{{cite news |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/15/spanish-king-elephant-hunting-injures-hip-surgery_n_1426588.html |title=Spanish King Juan Carlos Elephant-Hunting Trip Causes Outrage, Injures Hip in Botswana And Requires Surgery |first=Harold |last=Heckle |agency=Associated Press |work=HuffPost |date=15 April 2012}}</ref> A petition called for the king to resign from his position as honorary president of the Spanish branch of the [[World Wide Fund for Nature]].<ref name="bbcrow">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17730857 |title=Row over hunting trip for Spanish King Juan Carlos |work=BBC News |date=16 April 2012}}</ref> The WWF itself responded by asking for an interview with the King to resolve the situation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.worldwildlife.org/who/media/press/2012/WWFPresitem27728.html |title=WWF asks to speak to king |publisher=Worldwildlife.org |access-date=2 June 2014}}</ref> In July 2012, [[WWF Spain]] held a meeting in Madrid and decided with 226 votes to 13 to remove the King from its honorary presidency.<ref name="ap120721">{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/spains-king-juan-carlos-ousted-as-honorary-world-wildlife-fund-president-after-elephant-hunt/2012/07/21/gJQAsyAC0W_story.html |title=Spain king ousted as honorary president of World Wildlife Fund branch after elephant hunt |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=The Washington Post |location=Madrid |date=21 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723051920/http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/spains-king-juan-carlos-ousted-as-honorary-world-wildlife-fund-president-after-elephant-hunt/2012/07/21/gJQAsyAC0W_story.html |archive-date=23 July 2012 |url-status=dead |access-date=11 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/09/23/spain-king-juan-carlos-meets-with-bill-clinton/ |title=Spain's King Juan Carlos meets with Bill Clinton |publisher=Fox News Channel |date=23 September 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140605060527/http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/09/23/spain-king-juan-carlos-meets-with-bill-clinton/ |archive-date=5 June 2014 }}</ref> He later apologised for the hunting trip.<ref name="ft12">{{cite news |last=Mailet |first=Victor |title=Spanish king apologises for hunting trip |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/01ff463e-8954-11e1-85af-00144feab49a.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/01ff463e-8954-11e1-85af-00144feab49a.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |access-date=7 May 2012 |newspaper=Financial Times |date=18 April 2012}}</ref>

Up until the Botswana elephant trip, Juan Carlos had enjoyed a high level of shielding from media scrutiny, described as "rare among Western leaders".<ref name=EoghanGilmartin>{{Cite web|url=https://jacobinmag.com/2020/07/monarchism-spain-king-corruption|website=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]|title=Spain's Former King Has Fled, But His Cronyism Remains|date=4 August 2018|last=Gilmartin|first=Eoghan}}</ref>