Spanish government readies removal of dictator Franco's remains

FILE PHOTO: A woman holds an umbrella with the colors of the Spanish flag at the Valle de los Caidos (The Valley of the Fallen), the mausoleum holding the remains of former Spanish dictator Francisco Franco, on the 43rd anniversary of his death in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, outside Madrid, Spain, November 20, 2018. REUTERS/Susana Vera/File Photo

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Socialist government aims to approve a decree next Friday ordering the removal of dictator Francisco Franco's remains from a grand mausoleum outside Madrid, a senior government official told Reuters on Monday.

More than 40 years after he died, the Franco era remains a sensitive subject in Spain. The plan to move his remains divides Spanish society and political parties, and has been delayed several times over the past months. His family opposes the exhumation.