Ceuta Crisis Exposes Tensions between PM and King
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has delivered a rare public criticism of King Felipe VI, questioning the monarch’s absence from Ceuta during the continuing migration crisis. Speaking to Cadena SER on Monday, Sánchez contrasted his government’s handling of the emergency with the king’s failure to visit either of Spain’s two North African autonomous cities, Ceuta […] The post Ceuta Crisis…
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly criticized King Felipe VI, questioning the monarch's absence from Ceuta during Spain's ongoing migration crisis. Speaking to Cadena SER, Sánchez contrasted his government's response with the king's failure to visit the North African autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Sánchez stated that there are "more than enough reasons" for the head of state to visit these territories, highlighting his own emergency trip to Ceuta and his government's response on the ground.
The prime minister's remarks are highly unusual, as public criticism of the Crown by a serving Spanish prime minister is rare. Sánchez claimed that the king has not visited Ceuta and Melilla for 20 years, although his claim was inaccurate; Felipe VI has been king for 12 years since 2014. Felipe VI has not visited Ceuta or Melilla since 2007, when his father, Juan Carlos I, made a visit.
Sánchez did not reveal details of his private discussions with Felipe VI but confirmed that he had recommended the monarch's visit to Ceuta and Melilla. The timing of a royal visit would depend on "the conditions being right," according to Sánchez. Spain's monarchs traditionally play a significant role in the country's relationship with Morocco, and Sánchez's comments are likely to fuel debate over the Crown's role during national emergencies and its absence from Ceuta and Melilla.
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