National
King Juan Carlos opens the ninth legislature of the Spanish parliament
By h.b.
Apr 16, 2008 - 5:26 PM

At the opening of the new session of parliament in Madrid today, King Juan Carlos I called for a new cross-party anti-terrorist pact to be established. He said that the fight against terrorism occupied a crucial place and that it demanded unity. It was, he considered, an obligation from all democrats to the victims and their families.

The King also called for unity in the handling of the economy, and other ‘politics of State’. He said Spain should face the ‘difficulties and uncertainties’ of the economic situation ‘as popular will demanded’.

The Monarch was accompanied at the ceremony by Queen Sofia and the rest of the Spanish Royal Family, and greeted the new deputies and senators individually one by one, starting with the Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero who had welcomed the Royal party at the door to Congress.

The proceedings were opened by the new President of Congress, the Spanish equivalent of the Speaker in the House of Commons, José Bono, who celebrated ‘the longest uninterrupted period of democracy in the history of Spain’. He also commented that Spain needs to ‘concentrate more on the engineers of efficiency than the prophets of dogma’.

The ceremony over, the Royal Party went outside to enjoy the parade of the armed forces on what was a sunny day in Madrid.