Spanish MPs call for exhumation of Franco's remains

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID

Spanish lawmakers passed a resolution on Thursday calling for the remains of former dictator Francisco Franco to be removed from a memorial.

The Valley of the Fallen is one of Spain's most controversial monuments. Located 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of the capital Madrid, it boasts the world's largest cross and is one of the most prominent legacies of the Franco era.

Not only is the monument a resting place for the former fascist dictator, who died in 1975, it has become a place where his supporters still go to lay flowers on his grave.

The motion passed on Thursday aims to transform the monument into a place for "reflection and reconciliation".

The valley also holds the remains of more than 30,000 people, from both sides of the Spanish Civil War, who died in the three-year conflict that ended in 1939.

Thursday’s non-binding resolution, put forward by the Spain's Socialist Party, was passed after 198 lawmakers voted in favor of the motion and one against.

At the same time, 140 lawmakers abstained from the vote, including those from the ruling Popular Party, which exercises minority rule in the country.