Prince Felipe will face a daunting array of challenges when
he becomes king of Spain at midnight on Wednesday 18 June.
Some are the consequence of the severe economic crisis endured
over the past six years, which has resulted in extreme social hardship and
growing inequality.
As his father, Juan Carlos, admitted in his abdication
speech, the crisis - from which Spain is only now slowly emerging - has
inflicted very deep scars, which will not heal overnight.
The future king's most important task will therefore be to
assist Spanish society in overcoming this painful legacy.
The crisis has also fuelled public disaffection with Spain's
major institutions, which have come under unprecedented scrutiny and criticism,
and many fear that economic recovery alone will not be enough to restore public
trust.
Juan Carlos himself has acknowledged as much by stating that
his abdication was meant to pave the way for the "transformations"
and "reforms" that current circumstances demand.
Catalan
crisis
Like his father, the future king will have very limited
political powers, and the regeneration of the Spanish body politic will
therefore depend largely on the major political actors.
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