Albares' ministry provides flawed grand-children file, hindering vote-right certifications
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs gave the Census Office a defective list of grandchildren, preventing the issuance of the certifications needed for voting rights.
The latest report from the Census Office highlights that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs supplied an initial Excel sheet with 2,392 records, but only 1,571 matched individuals who acquired Spanish nationality under the grandchildren provision. Of these, 1,278 appear in the electoral register closed on 1 August 2026. A subsequent cumulative file, which added earlier entries, was found to contain numerous inaccuracies, making it unreliable for certification purposes.
The Census Office has also requested and received data from the Digital Civil Registry, identifying 76,600 eligible grandchildren, of which 38,188 are present in one outlet voter list. This subset has been sent to the ministry to aid consulates in issuing the required certifications. So far, only 64 certifications have been issued since the Supreme Court order, 43 days after the ruling.
Why it matters
The error-prone data hampers the ability of eligible grandchildren to obtain voting certificates for the upcoming election.
How this story developed
- Oct 5 Spain's Supreme Court suspends overseas voting for new citizens under grandchildren law
- Oct 6 The Spanish Supreme Court has nullified the national arrest warrants for Carles Puigdemont and two former advisers, allowing him to return to Spain.
- Oct 6 Supreme Court magistrate Pablo Llarena cancelled the national arrest warrants for Puigdemont and his advisers.
- Oct 7 Supreme Court judge issued a provisional annulment of Puigdemont’s arrest warrant, pending a separate tribunal meeting on the full amnesty application.
- Oct 15 Ce.DEU submitted legal objections to the Supreme Court's voting suspension decree.
- Oct 21 The Constitutional Court has begun reviewing the ombudsman's emergency filing.
- Oct 21 Constitutional Court refused to admit the Ombudsman’s amparo challenging the voting suspension.
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