Apparntly King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain voted in Spain’s EU constituion referendum. Is this normal for Spanish royals? Do they vote in general elections too? They also voted on Spain’s constituion in 1978.
Interesting question. I think it might have to do with what his formal role is, in relation to Spanish sovereignty.
Certainly nobody would have a problem with Mr. Bush, or M. Chirac, voting, even though they are heads of state like Elizabeth II and Juan Carlos.
Queen Elizabeth doesn’t vote – in fact, cannot vote – because she is considered the embodiment of British sovereignty, the person from whose authority the House of Commons and the House of Lords take their right to legislate, the person in whose name the Prime Minister and Cabinet govern the country.
Mr. Bush and M. Chirac are the ceremonial authorities of their country, like the Queen, as well as the heads of government. They do not embody sovereignty but serve as its representative. When Mr. Bush lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, he’s not acting as head of a Republican Administration, but as the formal, chosen representative of the American people, in whom sovereignty vests. Juan Carlos may be the same sort of head of state in a parliamentary monarchy, with sovereignty not vesting in him but in the Spanish people, and he serving as their formal representative.