Madrid City Hall says it will change the names of some 170 Madrid streets which still bear a link to the dictator Francisco Franco.
A law promulgated in 2007 by the Socialist government of the time said that all symbols related to the Franco regime should be removed, but many were not.
The civil war and the ensuing dictatorship remain painful subjects today for many Spanish people. The 2007 law to remove Franco's name was opposed by people on the political right.
Franco’s forces defeated the Republican supporters in 1939 after a violent and bloody war. Franco ruled the country until he died in 1975.
Calle General Yague, aka the “Butcher of Badajoz”, still has a major street in central Madrid named after him. His nickname was earned after overseeing the massacre of hundreds of civilians in the city.
In addition to streets, there are schools and public squares to be renamed. The new mayor said that local people would be consulted over the new names.
Mayor Manuela Carmena is backed by the anti-austerity party Podemos. A former communist and anti-Franco campaigner, her election brought to an end 25 years of conservative government in the nation’s capital.
Less than a year ago, one central Madrid square was names after Margaret Thatcher. The mayor is considering renaming this, but earlier said that tackling the Franco mementos was a higher priority.
