The mirage of the Republic  

These lines are addressed to all those who long for the Republic in Spain. And when I say "everyone" I mean ordinary people, people who dream of the Republic out of pure idealism. 

I am not referring to the politicians who vehemently defend this idea because they know, and well they know! the advantages that a republican system brings (for them...). I am a foreign journalist who lives in Spain, loves Spain, aches for Spain, and comes from a Parliamentary Republic. 

These "republican" politicians develop the concept that a republic is more democratic than a monarchy, that it defends the interests of the people better, and on top of that, it is cheaper than maintaining the Royal House. And they are trying hard to inculcate these ideas in the minds of the masses.  

Let us begin with the economic side of the matter, which is at the heart of it all. A Parliamentary Republic, as my country of origin - Bulgaria - is, and as Spain (or part of it...) is supposed to be if it were to become one, has, in addition to the President of the State, a Vice-President. This Presidential set has a whole army of officials at its service, consisting of: 

Secretary General of the President  

Secretary General's Cabinet with at least 20 employees  

Head of the President's Office  

Office of the President, with at least 15 employees  

Head of the Office of the Vice-President  

Office of the Vice-President, also with a lot of staff.   

Secretaries to the President: about 12 people in charge of foreign affairs, defence, justice, economy, culture, etc., in other words, they duplicate the functions of all the government ministries. And each one with its own team of employees.  

Then there are the President's advisors, also 12: advisors for foreign affairs, defence, justice, economy, culture, etc... In other words, the same as the secretaries.  

But this is not the end of the list. Now it is the turn of the Directorates-General: Finance, Technological Services, Protocols, Jurisdiction, Secretariat and Public Relations. And all of them, with their Sub-Directorates and Departments.  

They are followed by five Councils, which again duplicate the functions of the ministries, plus five commissions, including those for Amnesty, Granting of Nationality, Granting of Refuge, etc. Then there are three special teams with a regiment of employees: the President's Programme Development Team, the Analysis, Strategy and Forecasting Team, and the Internal Audit Team. And finally, the representative Guard Unit for the service of the President (Head of State).  

And don't forget that every 5 years presidential elections are held (apart from legislative elections), which entails even more copious expenditure from the State's coffers. On the other hand, a Kingdom is spared these expenses...  

Otherwise, there is little difference between the King and the President of the State in a Parliamentary Republic. The President has the same functions as the King in a Parliamentary Monarchy: he is Chief of the Army, he ratifies the laws passed by Parliament, he appoints national ambassadors and receives the credentials of foreigners, and finally: he has above all a representative role. The role of the Vice-President is unclear even in the official documents that specify the Presidential institution. In the entire democratic history of Bulgaria over the last 31 years, the Vice-President has been heard from only a couple of times: when he granted Bulgarian citizenship to refugees. In other words, this whole post of Vice-President with his regiment of subordinates represents purely sinecure posts.  

So, do you think anything will change in the lives of Spaniards with a republic? Well, yes, it will change: a much larger administration of the Head of State, more salaries derived from public money which would mean more revenue expressed in higher taxes and prices of basic necessities; more chorizos and cronies, placed in the udder of power, more personal payments from the state coffers, more Falcones for private flights... Not to mention corruption: the more monkeys on the tree, the more ferocious the appetite for the lion's share.  

After all this, whoever still believes that the Republic defends the interests of the subjects better than the Monarchy, and is the best option for Spain, let them cast the first stone.