Spain Keeps 163,000 New Citizens From Voting
SPAIN · ELECTION 2026 · COURTS
Published Thursday, 22 October 2026, 9:55 a.m. ET (3:55 p.m. Madrid) · Source: Moncloa.com, Euronews, Defensor del Pueblo
About 163,000 Spaniards abroad, many of them in Latin America, will not vote on 29 November unless a court changes course in the next week.
Spain’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday 21 October refused to restore the vote of 163,020 people who became Spanish citizens under the “grandchildren’s law”. The ruling keeps them off the roll for the general election in the Spain Election 2026 dossier, six weeks away.
The court voted 10 to 2 against an appeal by the national Ombudsman, saying the Supreme Court has not yet finished its own review. The decision lands in a race where Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is the underdog in prediction markets.
Key Facts
- —What happened The Constitutional Court rejected, 10 to 2, an appeal to restore the vote of new citizens.
- —Who decided The Constitutional Court plenary, after the Supreme Court suspended the vote on 10 September.
- —The numbers About 163,000 people lose the vote; the court split 10 to 2.
- —What happens next Objections go to the Supreme Court by Friday 23 October; Spain votes Sunday 29 November.
- —Prediction markets Polymarket: People’s Party wins 83%; Kalshi: Feijóo next prime minister 78%, Sánchez 19%. Prices at 9:49 a.m. ET.
This story is part of our coverage of the Spain Election 2026. Dates, times and how to follow it are in our guide.
In Plain English
- Grandchildren’s law: a 2022 Spanish law that lets descendants of Spaniards who fled persecution claim Spanish citizenship.
- Supreme Court: Spain’s top ordinary court, which suspended these new citizens’ votes.
- Constitutional Court: the court that protects basic rights; it said the appeal came too early.
- Ombudsman: the official who defends citizens’ rights and brought the appeal.
What the Courts Decided
The Supreme Court’s administrative chamber suspended the voting rights of people naturalised under the law who did not have to prove that their relatives were exiles. A section of that chamber upheld the suspension on 12 October, with one judge dissenting.
The Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, then asked the Constitutional Court to intervene. On Wednesday the court’s full bench declined, ruling by 10 votes to 2 that the appeal was premature.
The Constitutional Court did not rule on the merits: it said the Supreme Court has not yet finished its review.
Judges Juan Carlos Campo and Ramón Sáez voted to hear the case. The suspension therefore stays in force for now.
Why Latin America Is Watching
The 2022 law drew most of its applicants from Latin America, led by Argentina (about 42% of applications) and Cuba (about 12%), according to Spanish foreign ministry figures reported in 2025. Many of the people now losing the vote therefore live far from Spain.
For families in Buenos Aires or Havana, the ruling decides whether their new Spanish citizenship includes a say in who governs Spain. For Spanish parties, it decides whether an extra group of voters abroad takes part at all.
What Happens Next
Affected voters can still file objections with the Supreme Court until Friday 23 October, Euronews reported. The Supreme Court must then review its measures before the vote on Sunday 29 November.
Spain elects the 350-member Congress of Deputies and part of the Senate that day. The main contest is between the Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), Sánchez’s centre-left party, and the People’s Party (PP), the main centre-right opposition led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
What Prediction Markets Say
Polymarket priced a People’s Party win at 83% at about 9:49 a.m. ET, with about US$126,000 traded on the question. On Kalshi, which is regulated in the US by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Feijóo was 78% to become prime minister, Sánchez 19% and Santiago Abascal, leader of the conservative Vox party, 7%.
These prices are bets, not polls, and the Kalshi prices do not add up to 100% because they come from separate contracts. Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.
What It Means for You
Readers in the United States with Spanish roots, or with Latin American relatives who hold or seek Spanish passports, should watch the Supreme Court’s review. A Spanish passport gives the right to live and work anywhere in the European Union.
Investors in Spanish and European assets watch the election because a change of government in Madrid would shape policy for one of the euro area’s largest economies. A narrow race makes every group of voters count.
What Is Not Known
Spanish media report 163,020 people affected, but consulates can still certify some of them as descendants of exiles, which would change the count. It is not known how these voters would split between the parties.
It is also unclear whether the Supreme Court will change its measures before 29 November. Reports say the Constitutional Court could look at the case again only after the Supreme Court finishes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t about 163,000 new Spanish citizens vote on 29 November?
Spain’s Supreme Court suspended the voting rights of people naturalised under the 2022 grandchildren’s law who did not have to prove their relatives’ exile. On Wednesday 21 October the Constitutional Court declined to step in.
Who is affected by the suspension?
The measure covers people who became Spanish through the 2022 Democratic Memory Law without having to prove that their relatives were exiles. Spanish media put the number at 163,020, a count that can still change.
Why did the Constitutional Court say no?
It ruled by 10 votes to 2 that the Ombudsman’s appeal was premature, because the Supreme Court has not finished reviewing the case. Two judges, Juan Carlos Campo and Ramón Sáez, voted to hear it.
Can the decision still change before the election?
Yes. Affected voters can file objections with the Supreme Court until Friday 23 October, and the Supreme Court must then review its measures.
When is Spain’s general election?
Spain votes on Sunday 29 November 2026 for the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.
Sources: Moncloa.com (21 October 2026); Euronews (19 October 2026); Defensor del Pueblo (16 October 2026); Polymarket, Spain general election winner; Kalshi, Prime Minister of Spain. Market prices read on 22 October at about 9:49 a.m. ET.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief