Spain’s state lawyers oppose suspending vote for children of naturalised citizens

Spain’s state lawyers have opposed suspending the voting rights of the children of people who became Spanish citizens under the “grandchildren law”.

Vox and Iustitia Europa asked the Supreme Court to extend an existing voting restriction on some people naturalised under the law to their adult children.

The request concerns people registered to vote from abroad, including nearly 190,000 registrations under the relevant legal provision, according to figures cited by the groups and the state lawyers.

The government’s lawyers say there is no final ruling that these children gained citizenship unlawfully and that the court’s existing decision does not cover them.

They warn that holding back these ballots could delay or complicate the count in the 29 November election.

They also say identifying affected voters would require manually checking records at consulates, which could not be done in time.

The Supreme Court invited the parties to submit arguments, and it will decide whether to extend the restriction.