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Spanish cabinet approves succession law

03 June 2014 22:24 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA.The law that will regulate the process to see Prince Felipe succeed his father, Juan Carlos as the King of Spain was approved in an emergency cabinet meeting of the Spanish government on Tuesday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

The law is required due to Article 57 of the Spanish Constitution after a Monarch declares his intention to abdicate, as the 76-year-old Juan Carlos did on Monday saying it was time for a change and for someone with more energy to lead the nation.

The law covers the abdication process opened by the King's decision, for which there is no precedent in the Spanish history.

Now that the law is approved by the cabinet, it will go to the Spanish Congress and then the Senate for approval, requiring an absolute majority in both chambers before coming into effect.

This process can be as fast or as slow as Spain's Parliamentary groups desire, but the Spanish Royal Household has signaled that the institutional process until Felipe is proclaimed as King Felipe VI will last between three and six weeks and June 18 has been proposed as a possible date.