Felipe VI used the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards in Oviedo to defend democratic institutions during a tense pre-election campaign. His speech called for daily civic commitment as Spain prepares for general elections.
At the Teatro Campoamor in Oviedo on 23 October, King Felipe VI delivered the closing address at the 2026 Princess of Asturias Awards ceremony. The royal address came against a campaign marked by insults between candidates and videos created with artificial intelligence. Felipe used the occasion to argue that democratic life depends on daily civic effort and care for institutions, saying democracy does not end with elections.
He said democracy takes time to develop in a mature society. Its forms and institutions, he argued, need daily civic commitment to support coexistence and the pursuit of the common good. RTVE reported that Felipe contrasted this need for time with the immediacy of results associated with artificial intelligence, urging people to give themselves time and confidence to improve. Spain’s general election is scheduled for 29 November 2026.
The wider backdrop also included Javier Milei's recent visit to Spain, covered by RUSSPAIN in an earlier report. Felipe described democracy as an experience and a process of learning, rather than something confined to election day. Agencia EFE reported that he said citizens would have the significant responsibility of determining the country’s political direction. The king also placed that continuing democratic learning in the context of roughly five decades since Spain passed the 1977 Law for Political Reform.
He recalled the Transition as a complex process that made it possible to move peacefully from dictatorship to freedom. Felipe said the Constitution could accommodate all Spaniards without distinction and presented constitutional democracy as an achievement that continues to renew itself through learning and civic responsibility.
He urged citizens to remain humble and alert, and called for a continued willingness to learn and improve. His appeal focused on caring for democratic institutions and balancing citizens’ legitimate interests as the election approaches.
