The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered its consular offices to work this Saturday and Sunday to meet the ultimatum from the Supreme Court: to deliver by Wednesday, October 28, at 3:00 PM, the nominal list —including first and last names— of the 163,020 individuals naturalized under the grandchildren's law, whose right to vote on November 29 was provisionally suspended, according to a report by EFE.
On Thursday, the Administrative Litigation Chamber issued two orders requiring ministers José Manuel Albares (Foreign Affairs) and Félix Bolaños (Presidency) to provide that list, under threat of coercive fines of 1,000 euros, which can be repeated until the resolution is executed, and with the possibility of penal charges being pursued against them.
The high court deemed it "incomprehensible" that, 43 days after its initial ruling, the Administration had not yet provided that list. "This nominal relationship, which is incomprehensible to this Chamber, has still not been supplied and is essential for the accurate formation of the relevant Electoral Register," the court indicated in one of its rulings.
The Court was even more direct in warning that "these individuals may ultimately be prevented from exercising their right to vote due to the very inaction of the Administration."
In the face of judicial pressure, the Foreign Ministry suspended permits and vacations for consular staff, approved all requests for reinforcement made by the offices, and mobilized officials from the embassies. Sources from the ministry informed the EFE agency that "it is imperative to deliver the requested data to meet the deadline" and described the task as "urgent and a priority."
The list must also be sent to the Central Electoral Board and the Electoral Census Office so that they can accurately compile the census for November 29th.
The review is particularly complex because the files of those who were naturalized between 2022 and 2024 must be examined manually, one by one. Only those processed in 2025 and 2026—about 70,000 people—are integrated into the digital system and are already included in the census. As of October 21, the consulates had reviewed 31,390 files, just 19% of the total, and had issued only 91 certificates verifying family exile.
Cuba is one of the most affected countries by this situation. The Consulate General of Spain in Havana is one of the most overwhelmed in the world during this process: it received over 107,000 citizenship applications just in 2025, and it is estimated that more than 350,000 Cubans have initiated procedures since the law came into effect in October 2022.
It is important to clarify what is at stake for naturalized Cubans: the Supreme Court's ruling does not annul Spanish nationality nor revoke passports. It solely restricts the right to vote on November 29 from abroad through the registry of absent residents. Cubans with Spanish nationality living in Spain can vote without any restrictions.
For those residing in Cuba, the only way to participate in the elections is for the consulate to issue a certification confirming that their Spanish ancestor was exiled for political, ideological, religious, or sexual orientation reasons. The mere presumption of exile established by the ministerial instruction of 2022 is not sufficient. With only 91 certificates issued out of more than 31,000 files reviewed, the practical chances of voting from the island are very limited for most.
Minister Albares himself acknowledged on October 19 that it would be "very difficult" to verify the files on time, and the General Directorate of Consular Affairs estimated that the process would take "at least until January" to complete.
The Constitutional Court rejected, days earlier, the amparo appeal presented by the Ombudsman, Ángel Gabilondo, by a vote of 10 to 2, considering it premature while the ordinary route before the Supreme Court remained open. The precautionary suspension, agreed upon in September and ratified in October, remains fully in effect.
With the general elections just 35 days away and the judicial deadline approaching midweek, the Government is facing a race against time where the voting rights of over 163,000 new Spaniards—many of them Cuban—depend on whether the consulates can complete a review that, according to their own estimates, would take months.
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