An analysis of international treaties for the recognition of the right of local suffrage to foreign residents in Spain who do not hold European citizenship

Abstract

Nearly a decade after the beginning of the second signing process of bilateral treaties to the recognition of the right to suffrage at the local level to foreign residents in Spain of some nationalities, within the framework of article 13.2 of Spanish Constitution, it’s time to make a balance regarding the practical incidence of that process. After having developed its effects in two electoral calls (municipal elections of 2011 and 2015), and at the gates of the local elections of 2019, the level of participation of potential beneficiaries of the treaties has been very low. This article analyses from a critical point of view these international instruments, offering alternatives to really advance in the recognition of the rights of political participation of foreign residents.