Juan Carlos gives details of reform

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34149, 10 May 1976, Page 15

Juan Carlos gives details of reform

(N.Z P.A -Reuter —Copyright f MADRID, May 9. The Government of King Juan Carlos has announced a sweeping reform programme to dismantle the authoritarian political system established in Spain by the late General Franco.

The plans include a two-House Parliament, most of the members of which would be directly elected, free trade unions, and an hereditary monarchy.

Disclosing the proposals, the Minister of Information (Mr Adolfo Martin Gamero)

said that they culminated the programme undertaken by the Government since General Franco’s death last November. The central reform is the proposal to create a twoHouse Parliament. All 300 members of the Congress would be directly elected, and 200 of the 285 Senators would be elected from candidates nominated by local councils and trade unions.

The two houses, which would have equal powers, replace the present Cortes, only one-fifth of which is directly elected.

The reforms also recognise the right of workers to form

their own unions, thus giving approval to clandestine organisations run by Socialists and Communists to operate openly. Under General Franco, the only legal labour organisations were the Statecontrolled syndicates, which included both labour and management representatives Many workers maintained that the syndicates were unrepresentative and did not look after their interests. A new succession law puts the monarchy firmly on an hereditary basis, replacing the laws that allowed General Franco to overrule the claims to the throne of King Juan Carlos's father. Don Juan. The new law also allows women to reign, and lowers the minimum age of succession from 30 to 18. The reform plans must be studied by the Cortes, and then submitted to a referendum. Given the determination of the King and his Government to carry through the programme, it seems unlikely that the Cortes will make a serious attempt to water down the reforms.