The common good of the Parliamentary Monarchy

Abstract

Since the classical philosophers, a mixed regime or politeía has been postulated that is at the service of the common good and that promulgates, with prestige, the laws; it is the institution that, according to them, guarantees concord, stability, peace, historical continuity, in which the King is a servant of the law. We will see some examples of the prestige (authority or spiritual power) achieved by some Constitutional Monarchies, Catholic and liberal, of the early xx century: the Spanish, the Portuguese and the Austro-Hungarian, which paved the way for the Parliamentary Monarchy because their Monarchs were liberal: although their respective Constitutions established their shared sovereignty with Parliament, they gave primacy not only to the Parliament, but also to the people whose sovereignty they recognized. It is necessary to explain what is meant by “liberal spirit”, which informs our Parliamentary Monarchy, whose King, Felipe VI, considers that without respect for the laws there is neither coexistence nor democracy, but rather insecurity, arbitrariness and, in short, failure of the moral and civic principles of society; because law is the best way to achieve and maintain peace. According to Julián Marías, the Monarchy is outside of belligerence, it is a permanent institution, superior to the political parties; it gives a continuity, with prestige, that allows change without breaking stability.