Sánchez: “I won't forgive it” over the law concerning descendants of exiles
The Supreme Court suspends the voting rights of descendants of exiles, to which Sánchez responds: "I won't forgive it." The CERA has grown by 19.96%, according to reports.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Sánchez attacks PP and Vox for halting the vote of descendants
What happens when a court suspends part of the electoral roll using precautionary measures? That is exactly what has peine with the grandchildren law (the legislation enabling voting rights for descendants of Spanish exiles), trinc the Supreme Court's precautionary measures that paralyze its application.
Pedro Sánchez made this issue central to his intervention at the PSC's Fiesta de la Rosa in Gavà on September 20, where he attacked PP and Vox, concluding: “I won't forgive it.” Shortly before, he had described the suspension as a “very serious matter that undermines our democracy.”
What the Supreme Court has suspended and who requested it
The precautionary measures paralyze the application of the grandchildren law, and with it, the vote of descendants of exile until the matter is resolved. According to the account circulating about the origin of the case, the judicial initiative did not come from PP, but rather from Vox and another political formation that allegedly filed its appeal beforehand. Vox reportedly registered the complaint two days later, also including the request to include foreigners in the CERA roll without prior proof before election day.
There is a temporal nuance that must be retained: several participants maintain there will be no substantive resolution from the Supreme Court before the elections. Anyone claiming that the Supreme Court will decide in time is engaging in futurism, not analysis.
The CERA accrues 19.96% of registered voters in less than four years
The data that has fueled the debate is the evolution of the Electoral Census of Absent Residents (CERA). The figure being circulated shows a jump from 2,290,583 registrations on November 1, 2022, to 2,747,688 on August 1, 2026—an increase of 19.96%. The detail underscored is not just the volume, but that the Electoral Census Office reportedly failed to report this significant alteration, which occurred shortly after Sofía Puente's 2022 instruction.
Added to this is another fact: more than two million “grandchildren” of exile already had the right to vote in 2023 and must now prove that condition again.
For some, this figure proves the norm has been functioning for years; for others, it shows that the foreign census has become an electoral spoils system moving without public control.
The ballot box that doesn't match the final count
Among the most detailed testimonies is that of a polling station president in a small municipality with three stations, his being the largest. The minutes he signed, including postal votes, showed PP leading by a large margin, Vox second, and PSOE third, despite the second-place votes being theirs. The published count placed PSOE in second place in a town with no Socialist councilors. His only explanation was the CERA vote, which is counted outside the municipality and not broken down by stations. He signs the minutes but does not sign the conclusion.
Software, minutes, and irregularities that hold up to scrutiny
Some point to the computer count and the company providing the electoral software, comparing it to the Venezuelan situation. The objection is reasonable: the dance of numbers in the count alone is not enough to overturn an election, and the minutes from each station exist precisely to invalidate what a program may do incorrectly. If fraud exists, it must be staged before the votes are counted: the vulnerability lies in postal voting and the census, not in the algorithm.
It must be stated clearly: neither fraud nor manipulation of the census has been judicially proven. What exists are indications, minutes, disputed figures, and much indignation. The difference between these things is the only thing separating a complaint from a rumor.
The Supreme Court has the ball, the Government has the fury, and the census has 457,000 more registered voters than four years ago. If this were merely a historical injustice to be rectified, no one would be so angry.
What happens when a court suspends part of the electoral roll using precautionary measures? That is exactly what has peine with the grandchildren law (the legislation enabling voting rights for descendants of Spanish exiles), trinc the Supreme Court's precautionary measures that paralyze its application.
Pedro Sánchez made this issue central to his intervention at the PSC's Fiesta de la Rosa in Gavà on September 20, where he attacked PP and Vox, concluding: “I won't forgive it.” Shortly before, he had described the suspension as a “very serious matter that undermines our democracy.”
What the Supreme Court has suspended and who requested it
The precautionary measures paralyze the application of the grandchildren law, and with it, the vote of descendants of exile until the matter is resolved. According to the account circulating about the origin of the case, the judicial initiative did not come from PP, but rather from Vox and another political formation that allegedly filed its appeal beforehand. Vox reportedly registered the complaint two days later, also including the request to include foreigners in the CERA roll without prior proof before election day.
There is a temporal nuance that must be retained: several participants maintain there will be no substantive resolution from the Supreme Court before the elections. Anyone claiming that the Supreme Court will decide in time is engaging in futurism, not analysis.
The CERA accrues 19.96% of registered voters in less than four years
The data that has fueled the debate is the evolution of the Electoral Census of Absent Residents (CERA). The figure being circulated shows a jump from 2,290,583 registrations on November 1, 2022, to 2,747,688 on August 1, 2026—an increase of 19.96%. The detail underscored is not just the volume, but that the Electoral Census Office reportedly failed to report this significant alteration, which occurred shortly after Sofía Puente's 2022 instruction.
Added to this is another fact: more than two million “grandchildren” of exile already had the right to vote in 2023 and must now prove that condition again.
For some, this figure proves the norm has been functioning for years; for others, it shows that the foreign census has become an electoral spoils system moving without public control.
The ballot box that doesn't match the final count
Among the most detailed testimonies is that of a polling station president in a small municipality with three stations, his being the largest. The minutes he signed, including postal votes, showed PP leading by a large margin, Vox second, and PSOE third, despite the second-place votes being theirs. The published count placed PSOE in second place in a town with no Socialist councilors. His only explanation was the CERA vote, which is counted outside the municipality and not broken down by stations. He signs the minutes but does not sign the conclusion.
Software, minutes, and irregularities that hold up to scrutiny
Some point to the computer count and the company providing the electoral software, comparing it to the Venezuelan situation. The objection is reasonable: the dance of numbers in the count alone is not enough to overturn an election, and the minutes from each station exist precisely to invalidate what a program may do incorrectly. If fraud exists, it must be staged before the votes are counted: the vulnerability lies in postal voting and the census, not in the algorithm.
It must be stated clearly: neither fraud nor manipulation of the census has been judicially proven. What exists are indications, minutes, disputed figures, and much indignation. The difference between these things is the only thing separating a complaint from a rumor.
The Supreme Court has the ball, the Government has the fury, and the census has 457,000 more registered voters than four years ago. If this were merely a historical injustice to be rectified, no one would be so angry.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (103 replies).
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