Justice Minister Félix Bolaños has urged the Supreme Court to rule quickly on its freeze affecting the voting rights of Spaniards who gained citizenship under the “law of grandchildren.” He says 400,000 people have lost the chance to vote in the next elections and warns that Spanish democracy cannot wait.
“I believe the Supreme Court, now that elections are called and a precautionary measure is in place, should resolve the substance of this matter as soon as possible,” Bolaños said. Many of those affected have already voted in Spanish elections. The law has been in place since 2008, following the Zapatero government’s memory law. But the State Attorney’s Office gives a different figure: as of August 31, 2026, 168,896 people were on the CERA register of non-resident voters under the disputed exile presumption. The rule stems from a 2022 instruction by the Ministry of Justice. The Supreme Court’s freeze targets this specific group, not everyone who gained citizenship through the “law of grandchildren.”
By May 31, 2026, consulates had received 1,225,188 applications under the law, information from official statistics from the Ministry of Territorial Policy. The ministry had approved 571,761 cases and entered 333,696 registrations in consular records. By June 2026, it reported that 544,722 people had obtained Spanish citizenship under the Law of Democratic Memory. That figure includes minors and people not registered in the CERA electoral roll; the different figures reflect separate stages of the process and cannot be directly equated with the number of eligible voters.
Bolaños called the court’s move a blow to Fundamental Rights. He said the suspension “has deprived 400,000 people of the right to vote.” He also said the process for these voters had worked “with absolute normality” until now. Bolaños blamed the uproar on what he called a “hoax” spread by right-wing and far-right groups. Not all naturalized citizens can vote: only adults on the CERA list are eligible, a point the Ministry of Territorial Policy has stressed.
For Bolaños, the issue goes beyond legal details: denying Spanish citizens the vote is a serious step, and he says the country needs answers quickly. The debate comes as Spain faces questions about who counts as a citizen and who gets a say at the polls. The dispute echoes other recent legal battles over voting rights and government actions, including the Ceuta border crisis investigation. On September 8, the Supreme Court temporarily blocked the inclusion in CERA of people who obtained nationality under the “law of grandchildren,” unless they can prove descent from people exiled for political or religious reasons, or because of their sexual orientation. The court is examining whether the cases were handled lawfully.
The government says the voting rights of these new Spaniards cannot remain in limbo. Bolaños wants a quick resolution and says the integrity of Spain’s elections is at stake. Early elections are set for November 29. The court has given the parties 48 hours, until 3:00 p.m. on October 8, to file objections before it decides whether to maintain the freeze.
