Spanish king presides over final military ceremony

Spain's Juan Carlos, who announced plans to abdicate last week, today presided over his last military ceremony as king before he cedes the throne to his more popular son Prince Felipe.
Hundreds of onlookers applauded and chanted "Long live the king!" as the 76-year-old monarch, dressed in a brown military uniform, reviewed troops at Spain's annual armed forces day ceremony in central Madrid.
The king, who walks with a cane after multiple hip operations, was flanked by his wife Queen Sofia, and Felipe, who wore a white navy uniform, and his wife Princess Letizia, a former TV news reader.
Felipe, 46, ascends to the throne amid smoldering republican sentiment in a nation with a towering 26 per cent jobless rate which has fuelled growing discontent with the political elite.

Within hours of the king's announcement on June 2 that he was abdicating in favour of his son, thousands of people massed in central Madrid and other cities to demand a referendum on the monarchy.
Thousands took to the streets again yesterday, calling for a popular vote on whether it should be abolished.

Many waved the red, yellow and purple Spanish republican flag and brandished placards reading: "No more kings, a referendum".
"I want to have the opportunity to vote to decide on my country's political system, whether it is a republic or a monarchy," said Oscar Hernandez, a 29-year-old teacher at the Madrid rally.

Nearly two-thirds of Spaniards, 62 per cent, believe a referendum should be held "at some point" on the issue, according to a poll published today by centre-left daily newspaper El Pais.
Among voters between the ages of 18 and 34, backing for a referendum rises to 74 per cent.
If such a vote was to be held, the poll found 49 per cent would prefer to have a monarchy with Felipe as king while 36 per cent would support a republic. The rest were undecided or declined to answer.
Spain only restored the monarchy in 1975 after the death of General Francisco Franco.

Rejecting calls for a popular vote, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy argues that Spain's 1978 constitution -- which established a parliamentary democracy with the king as a mostly ceremonial head of state -- was supported by a great majority in a referendum at the time.