FILE - In this Nov. 20, 2014 file photo, flowers lay on the tomb of Spanish former dictator General Francisco Franco in a mausoleum in the Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen), near Madrid, Spain. Spanish lawmakers on Thursday, May 11, 2017 have voted in favor of moving the remains of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum, a measure that has long been rejected by the conservative governing Popular Party and has reopened debate relating to one of Spain's most painful episodes, the 1936-39 Civil War and its aftermath. (AP Photo/Daniel Ochoa de Olza, File)
The Associated Press
MADRID (AP) - Spanish lawmakers have voted in favor of moving the remains of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum in central Spain, a measure that has long been rejected by the conservative governing Popular Party.
The 198-1 vote Thursday with 140 abstentions puts no obligation on the government. But it has reopened debate relating to one of Spain's most painful episodes, the 1936-39 Civil War and its aftermath.
The mausoleum, located close to Madrid, is seen by many as a relic of Spain's dictatorial past.
The lawmakers also called for funds to remove remaining dictatorship symbols and to set up a commission to investigate the estimated 115,000 people still missing since the conflict, a recommendation backed by the United Nations.
FILE - In this May 10, 2016 file photo, tourists walk outside the Valle de los Caidos (Valley of the Fallen) monument that houses the tomb of Spanish former dictator General Francisco Franco in it's mausoleum,near Madrid, Spain. Spanish lawmakers on Thursday, May 11, 2017, have voted in favor of moving the remains of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco from the Valley of the Fallen mausoleum, a measure that has long been rejected by the conservative governing Popular Party and has reopened debate relating to one of Spain's most painful episodes, the 1936-39 Civil War and its aftermath. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco, File)
The Associated Press