Exile amendment reopens debate over Spanish nationality

A Sumar amendment proposes putting into law the presumption of exile applied in many Spanish-nationality cases processed under the Democratic Memory Law. The text must still pass through the parliamentary process.

The debate concerns how the exile of Spanish ancestors was established and whether people who obtained citizenship through that route may vote in the general elections scheduled for November 29, 2026. The publication clarifies that the dispute does not mean Spain is revoking nationalities already granted.

The amendment was attached to an education reform, although congressional legal advisers questioned its connection to that legislation. The proposal is not yet law and could change in scope during parliamentary and judicial proceedings.