Spain’s king to abdicate throne: PM

Spain’s King Juan Carlos I is to abdicate the throne in favor of his son after almost four decades, the Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has announced.

“His majesty, King Juan Carlos, has just communicated to me his will to give up the throne,” Rajoy said on Monday, citing personal reasons for the decision.

According to reports, the king’s health is failing and he has undergone a number of operations in recent years.

The Spanish King, however, stated in a televised address on the same day that his abdication after a 39-year reign was motivated by “a drive for renewal,” noting that his son, Crown Prince Felipe is “the incarnation of stability.”

“When I turned 76 in January, I decided it was the moment to prepare passing the baton to someone who can ensure stability,” Carlos added.

The Spanish king was long popular for the role he played in helping Spain’s transition to democracy in the 1970s. However, he has lost public support in recent years over corruption scandals and blunders.

His daughter, Princess Cristina, and her husband, Inaki Urdangarin, are under investigation in a corruption case.

The high-level corruption scandal has severely damaged the royal family’s standing in Spain.

A poll published by the Spanish newspaper, El Mundo, earlier in January showed that fewer than half of Spaniards, or 41 percent, support the monarchy in general and nearly two-thirds of them want Carlos to abdicate.