Spain’s king tells Chavez ‘shut up’

EVEN Spaniards normally critical of the royal family backed King Juan Carlos on Sunday for telling Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to shut up, but some voiced concerns that the monarchy was getting too involved in politics.

The king’s outburst at the Ibero American summit followed days of criticism by leftist Latin American leaders of Spain’s political and business influence in former colonies. The spark came when Mr Chavez repeatedly called Spain’s former conservative prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar, a fascist.

Spain’s left-leaning El Periodico de Catalunya newspaper, representing a region where anti-royal sentiment runs high, said yesterday that Mr Chavez’s behavior had been intolerable

Raising his hand at the fiery Venezuelan president, Juan Carlos had shouted “Why don’t you shut up?”

Some Spaniards however appeared uneasy at the king taking on a more political role ahead of next year’s general election. Government ally El Pais said the king acted within his rights but raised concerns the monarchy was losing the symbolic function it has under Spain’s constitution.