Spain's Supreme Court issues precautionary order suspending overseas voting impact of grandchildren‑law registrations

The Supreme Court's Fourth Section of the Contentious‑Administrative Chamber has issued a precautionary order that suspends any electoral effect of registrations in the Register of Absent Residents (CERA) that stem from the expanded interpretation of the grandchildren law. The order follows a lawsuit filed by Iustitia Europa together with Vox, which argued that the Central Electoral Board’s July 16 decision to process such registrations exceeded the law.

Justice Minister Félix Bolaños publicly expressed disagreement with the court’s action and called for a swift substantive judgment before the upcoming electoral period. The court distinguished between naturalisations granted under the original provision of the Historical Memory law and those added through an instruction signed by Sofia Puente that presumed exile for all Spaniards who left the country, and it suspended voting rights for the latter pending a final ruling.