https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-56177819
It was not until 2007 that a Law of Historical Memory was passed that attempted to recognise the suffering of victims of Francoism.
Under that law, symbols of the dictatorship have slowly been removed, including other high-profile statues around Spain.
Elena Fernandez Trevino, of the Melilla assembly, described the removal of the enclave's Franco statue as an "historic day".
She said it was the "only statue dedicated to a dictator still in the public sphere in Europe".