The Spanish government ordered the exhumation of the body of dictator Francisco Franco

The Spanish government on Friday approved the order to exhume dictator Francisco Franco from his current burial ground, the Monument to the Valley of the Dead, with a formula to overcome the opposition of the family.

Franco's living parents, seven grandchildren in total, will have fifteen days to decide where where are buried the remains of his grandfather, who died in 1975 after almost 40 years of dictatorship.

However, it can not be in the Cathedral of Almudena in Madrid (next to the Royal Palace and the center of Madrid), which was the place proposed by the grandchildren, because the executive wants to avoid d & # 39; Possible public order problems and that the Franco receives tributes, according to the Socialist Executive.

"In the cathedral of Almudena can not be," said Justice Minister Dolores Delgado, at a press conference.

In case the parents oppose the transfer or in the absence of agreement between them and the authorities, the government "reserves (chooses) the place where the remains of Franco must be buried "explained Delgado.

The exhumation of the remains of Franco is one of the promises of the government led by the socialist Pedro Sánchez. He came to power last June, although this objective ran into administrative obstacles that delayed the project for several months.

In addition, the grandchildren of the general mentioned the possibility of reentering it in the cathedral of Madrid, in the crypt of which are Franco's daughter and son-in-law.

Franco (1892-1975), leader of the victorious camp of the Civil War (1936-1939), was buried after his death in 1975 in the Basilica of Valley of the Fallen, a complex built at the request of the dictator.

The monument, located in a mountainous area 50 kilometers north of Madrid, also houses the remains of tens of thousands of dead on both sides of the conflict and receives thousands of tourists each year.

One possibility that has been mixed up is that Franco is buried next to his wife in the cemetery of the Madrilenian district of El Pardo, separated from several kilometers from the capital and in which is located the palace in which the dictator lived during its mandate. .

The decision to exhume Franco, after several months of administrative procedures, "will designate us all as Spaniards" for "reconciliation with ourselves," said the minister of the Socialist Government at the end of the meeting Weekly of the Council of Ministers.

Delgado stressed that this "historic" procedure was "absolutely scrupulous" with the law and avoided making badumptions about what could happen if family members obeyed their warnings to appeal to the Supreme Court.

This court had already provisionally rejected last December the blockade of the exhumation requested by the family, while recognizing that if the descendants of Franco appealed the final decision, the transfer of human remains could not be carried out without the permission of the family. 39, authorization of their judges.

Another possibility is that the prior of the Benedictine abbey of the monument, a former right-wing candidate during his secular life, could oppose the access of officials to the temple where Franco is buried.

In this case, the government – which has maintained contact with the Vatican on this matter – will adopt the necessary legal measures to access the temple, so that the jurisdiction of "civil authority" is not "excluded", has said the minister. Justice

When the government announced the court proceedings last August, Vice President Carmen Calvo said that "It is unacceptable" for a democracy to keep a dictator in a "grave state" with his victims.