The Supreme Court has provisionally halted voting rights for some Spanish citizens who obtained nationality through the Ley de nietos. The measure affects people already listed in the Censo Electoral de Residentes Ausentes (CERA) who have not proved their ancestors went into exile for political reasons. Pedro Sánchez called the decision very serious and said it undermines democracy.
The dispute centres on the overseas electoral register and whether recently nationalised citizens can vote in the next election. Sánchez said the courts had stopped a rule securing voting rights for 400,000 new Spaniards living abroad, giving the decision immediate political impact.
The Junta Electoral Basic carried out the Supreme Court's order while disputing its powers and the decision's effect on the electoral register.
The prime minister made the remarks in Gavá at the closing event of the traditional Fiesta de la Rosa, organised by the Partido Socialista de Cataluña. He said he would not challenge the Supreme Court's decision, although he disagrees with it. The court, he added, must now resolve the issue.
The court accepted the precautionary measures after an appeal by PP and Vox. They suspend voting rights for people already listed in CERA who have not provided the required evidence of political exile. Reports from RTVE and Politico identify Vox and Iustitia Europa as the parties behind the challenge, rather than the government.
The figures explain why the register is at the centre of the dispute. A total of 333,696 descendants have enrolled in the CERA census, while 571,000 applications have been approved. These numbers do not mean that everyone is affected by the suspension: the restriction applies specifically to registered voters who lack the required proof.
The decision does not revoke Spanish citizenship; it affects only the right to vote in CERA. CNN en Español reports that those who prove they are the child or grandchild of a Spaniard affected by exile for political, ideological or religious reasons, or because of sexual orientation or gender identity, may retain the right to vote.
Ángel Víctor Torres accused the Supreme Court of changing the census through its decision. The socialist politician from the Canary Islands said nobody can know how newly registered voters will cast their ballots. He also argued that the census changes when eligible citizens are stopped from voting, not when they exercise that right.
His argument points to the political uncertainty the case has created. Descendants of exiles do not form a predictable voting bloc simply because they share a route to Spanish nationality. Torres argued that nobody can know an exile's child's political position in advance.
THE OBJECTIVE reported this week that the dispute centres on the evidence needed to link applicants to politically motivated exile. That requirement now determines whether some people who have completed the nationality process can exercise the voting right tied to it.
The government's position is clear. The Supreme Court's intervention has interrupted the electoral effect of the Ley de nietos for part of the overseas register while the court process continues. RTVE reports that more than 400,000 people have obtained Spanish citizenship through the procedure, a figure that helps explain the dispute's political sensitivity.
The restriction is temporary and will remain in force until the court issues a final decision. It is not a final ruling on the merits of the case.
The dispute concerns voting rights for people listed in a register created for Spaniards living abroad, as well as hundreds of thousands of descendants and approved applications. The figures show the scale of the electoral change sought by the Ley de nietos. The court's measure makes access to the ballot conditional for people who cannot document the required exile history. The government has objected politically but cannot override the court; its pending decision is the next step for affected voters.
