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.