Madrid - The exhumation of former Spanish dictator Francisco
Franco is set to go forward after the relevant legislation was
approved by the cabinet on Friday, said Justice Minister Dolores
Delgado.
The final fate of Franco's remains has unearthed old controversies in
Spain. Opponents of Franco's rule say his current resting place - the
Valley of the Fallen, north-west of Madrid - is too grandiose for a
man responsible for the death of so many political opponents.
But those who look back fondly on Franco's rule consider the decision
to move his remains as an unnecessary insult, more than 40 years
after his death in 1975.
Delgado said Franco's family now has 15 days to decide where the
remains should go.
After the law allowing the move was approved by the legislature last
year, the family had said it would pick Almudena Cathedral in central
Madrid. But the government has ruled that out, saying it fears the
cathedral could become a pilgrimage site for those who support Franco
and his fascist politics.
The family has opposed the exhumation plan.
Franco dedicated the site where he would eventually be buried as a
resting place for some 32 000 people killed on both sides of the
Spanish Civil War. However, the site is a popular place of pilgrimage
for Franco's followers and right-wing extremists.
The question of Franco's remains became more of a key issue last year
after the Socialists formed a minority government. That party's
backers tend to dislike Franco's legacy, unlike the centre-right
People's Party, which was ejected last year after losing a
no-confidence vote.