An association has asked Spain’s Supreme Court to verify certificates used under an exception to temporary restrictions on CERA registrations. The judges have yet to decide whether to admit the case or grant the urgent measures.
Temporary restrictions on some registrations and electoral effects in the Censo Electoral de Residentes Ausentes (CERA) remain in force after the Supreme Court confirmed them on 12 October. The measures concern certain people who acquired Spanish nationality under the first clause of the eighth additional provision of Ley 20/2022, known as «ley de nietos».
The Association for Reconciliation and Historical Truth has now asked to join two related cases and filed urgent requests for precautionary action. Both proceedings were brought by Iustitia Europa and Vox over a decision by the Central Electoral Board and the electoral consequences of applying the law. The court has not yet ruled on the association’s standing or its requests. In an update announced by Spain’s General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ) on 23 October, the Supreme Court also gave the ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs five days to provide the nominal list of 163,020 people affected by the «Ley de Nietos». The request is part of the court’s evidence-gathering process; it does not establish that all those people were improperly registered, invalidate their nationality grants or annul their voting rights.
The court’s order allows an exception where an individual’s legal situation is supported by a certificate issued under the responsibility of the head of the Consular Registry. The person must provide individual evidence of the legal requirements set by the court and cannot rely on the presumption of exile in the Instruction of 25 October 2022.
The association says it is not asking the judges to treat such certificates as irregular by default. It wants the court to establish how many were issued under the exception, with records identifying the issuing consulates and the checks used. It also seeks a traceable link between each certificate, the original nationality file and the relevant electoral registration, while protecting personal data.
Its filings ask that electronic originals be preserved, along with supporting records showing signatures and access histories. They also seek technical information from the Electoral Census Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If an individual certificate lacks identifiable supporting records or conflicts with the original file, the association wants the court to assess that case separately and consider any necessary interim measure after the legally required safeguards and hearings.
The Central Electoral Board and the Electoral Census Office are also being asked to report on how the orders have been implemented. The requested details include which registrations are affected and whether electoral material has been sent. The filings also ask how authorities handle possible duplicate registrations, as well as ballots received where electoral effects have been suspended.
The general election has been called for 29 November. Political preparations for that vote have included Senate coordination discussions covered in earlier election coverage. The association says the approaching poll makes a prompt judicial response necessary.
The requests cite the special urgency route under Article 135 of the LJCA, with the ordinary adversarial precautionary procedure as an alternative. The Supreme Court will decide which procedure to use. The filings also refer to the Constitutional Court’s refusal to hear an amparo appeal by the Ombudsman because the ordinary court process had not concluded; that decision did not settle the merits of the dispute or the validity of individual nationality files.
The association says it has pursued administrative and court actions concerning the 2022 instruction since its publication. It also cites a separate judicial challenge it filed in September 2026 and has submitted documents concerning its legal capacity and representation.
