Spain's Supreme Court halts voting under the grandchildren law
Spain's Supreme Court suspends voting under the grandchildren law until applicants prove their family ties. The Government calls it an affront, while others see it as a stop to electoral rigging.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Supreme Court suspends voting for beneficiaries of the grandchildren law
Who has the right to vote in Spain? The seemingly simple question has turned into a clash between the Government and the Supreme Court. The Court's Administrative Chamber has suspended voting for beneficiaries of the so-called grandchildren law (a law granting Spanish citizenship to descendants of exiles) until they can prove they are children or grandchildren of exiles. The Government calls it a new affront and points to the hand of a court controlled by conservative sectors. The clash is part of a series of confrontations: the amnesty law, the conviction of the former attorney general, and now the vote.
The instruction that changed everything
One of the keys points to an instruction from the Ministry of Justice that would have broadened the scope of the law. Some argue that this instruction was intended to add new voters to the electoral roll of residents abroad (CERA) in order to swing elections. Judicial intervention would have halted that attempt. Other analyses go further: the law was poorly written and its implementation flawed, so the court measure is merely a delay until it is corrected. In any case, the accusation of electoral manipulation hangs over the debate.
The right to vote from abroad
At its core, the question is who should decide a country's future: those who live in it or those who have never set foot in it. It is argued that many of the newly naturalized do not live in Spain, never have, and will not suffer the consequences of their decisions. That is why the judicial suspension is presented as a brake on the "electoral rigging" the Government was planning. However, it is also pointed out that, legally, a right that was never held cannot be taken away: if registration in the CERA was unlawful, the suspension is correct.
A coup or a brake on electoral rigging? Depending on political leaning, the answer is exactly the opposite. Meanwhile, the courts rule, the Government protests, and the legal tangle grows more complicated. Anyone expecting an easy vote will find a battle instead.
Who has the right to vote in Spain? The seemingly simple question has turned into a clash between the Government and the Supreme Court. The Court's Administrative Chamber has suspended voting for beneficiaries of the so-called grandchildren law (a law granting Spanish citizenship to descendants of exiles) until they can prove they are children or grandchildren of exiles. The Government calls it a new affront and points to the hand of a court controlled by conservative sectors. The clash is part of a series of confrontations: the amnesty law, the conviction of the former attorney general, and now the vote.
The instruction that changed everything
One of the keys points to an instruction from the Ministry of Justice that would have broadened the scope of the law. Some argue that this instruction was intended to add new voters to the electoral roll of residents abroad (CERA) in order to swing elections. Judicial intervention would have halted that attempt. Other analyses go further: the law was poorly written and its implementation flawed, so the court measure is merely a delay until it is corrected. In any case, the accusation of electoral manipulation hangs over the debate.
The right to vote from abroad
At its core, the question is who should decide a country's future: those who live in it or those who have never set foot in it. It is argued that many of the newly naturalized do not live in Spain, never have, and will not suffer the consequences of their decisions. That is why the judicial suspension is presented as a brake on the "electoral rigging" the Government was planning. However, it is also pointed out that, legally, a right that was never held cannot be taken away: if registration in the CERA was unlawful, the suspension is correct.
A coup or a brake on electoral rigging? Depending on political leaning, the answer is exactly the opposite. Meanwhile, the courts rule, the Government protests, and the legal tangle grows more complicated. Anyone expecting an easy vote will find a battle instead.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (16 replies).
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