Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has taken a tougher line against the Supreme Court in a contentious case concerning the right to vote for people who have acquired Spanish citizenship through the ‘ley de nietos’, a law granting the descendants of Spaniards in exile the right to vote in Spain.
During an election campaign rally in Ponferrada on Sunday 11 October, Sánchez warned that it would be unconstitutional to prevent around 400,000 people born abroad from voting in the general election on 29 November. He explicitly called on the Supreme Court to lift a temporary suspension of these voters’ rights, describing it as an “abuse” of democracy:
Sánchez “piles on” the voters
– “In a democracy, the right to vote is not prohibited – it is guaranteed,” said Sánchez, asking rhetorically whether the grandchildren of those who went into exile under Franco should not be allowed to vote, whilst the grandchildren of Franco’s supporters who remained in Spain are allowed to do so.
In September, the Supreme Court introduced provisional measures suspending or restricting the right to vote for many of those who have obtained citizenship via the ‘ley de nietos’, as doubts have been raised as to who and how many actually meet the requirements.
The government and the Attorney General argue that it is practically impossible to review all the cases before the election, and that the suspension therefore ‘deprives’ thousands of people of their right to vote – a right that Sánchez himself granted them.
Vox and the Partido Popular have labelled the law ‘electoral manipulation’ and claim it is yet another attempt to flood the system with new voters, this time mainly from Latin America.
– To question the separation of powers is to question democracy
On the very same Sunday that Sánchez railed against the Supreme Court, its president, Cándido Conde-Pumpido, stated firmly in an interview with El País that questioning the Supreme Court is tantamount to questioning the Constitution and the principle of the separation of powers – and thus democracy itself.
– Pedro Sánchez panicked at the prospect of losing the election and threatened the Supreme Court to lift the provisional suspension of voting rights for non-residents. Sánchez’s panic stems from the fact that if he loses the election, he knows he will end up in the dock. Only by voting and turning up in person will we prevent them from hijacking our vote, writes Un abogado controla la demagogia:
🔥BRUTAL🔥
Today, Pedro Sánchez panicked in the middle of a rally faced with the evidence that he is going to lose the election, threatening the Supreme Court to lift the precautionary suspension of the right to vote for non-resident naturalised citizens under the Grandchildren’s Law.
What’s more, he has… pic.twitter.com/Dc8PKqC2K7— A LAWYER AGAINST DEMAGOGUE (@UACD_Youtube) 11 October 2026
In other words, there is considerable political tension surrounding ‘ley de nietos’. There are only a few weeks to go until the snap election on 29 November.
