CAAMAÑO VALLE v. SPAIN JUDGMENT reasoning of the contested judgment had contained a thorough analysis of the case and had correctly balanced the interests at stake. 13. On 28 April 2016 the applicant lodged an amparo appeal alleging a violation of Article 23 of the Spanish Constitution, defending her daughter’s right to vote. It was dismissed by the Constitutional Court on 28 November 2016 (notified on the 22 December 2016). 14. In its reasoned decision (auto), the Constitutional Court stated as follows: “... 2. With regard to doubt about the constitutionality of sections 3(1)(b) and 2 of Institutional Law 5/1985 ... on the general electoral system (the LOREG) under Article 23 § 1 of the Spanish Constitution, the applicant assumes that this constitutional provision guarantees to all citizens the right of active suffrage, without any limitation or exception ... ... Sections 2 and 3 of the LOREG limit the ... right to vote to those who, besides holding Spanish nationality ..., have reached the minimum legal age, have been included in the electoral census, and are not affected by the circumstances provided by section 3 (including having been judicially deprived of the right to vote in incapacity proceedings or being confined owing to a psychiatric disorder). Thus, the constitutional model of universal suffrage is not per se incompatible with an individual being deprived of the right to vote for a reason legally provided for, especially when such deprivation is covered by the standard legal guarantees. 3. On the basis of the considerations listed in the previous paragraph, the arguments employed in the appeal are insufficient to effectively question the constitutionality – owing to the infringement of Articles 23 §§ 1 and 14 of the Spanish Constitution – of the above-mentioned legal provisions (paragraphs (1)(b) and (2) of section 3 of the LOREG), which enable courts and tribunals to restrict the exercise of a person’s right to vote on the basis of that person’s legal incapacity – in particular, on the basis of the specific circumstances of each person and after the completion of the appropriate judicial procedure determining his or her incapacity (or the authorisation of his or her confinement on the basis of mental illness). With regard to the alleged interpretation of Article 23 of the Spanish Constitution in accordance with the CRPD – and, in particular, in accordance with Article 29 thereof – which was adopted in New York on 13 December 2006 and ratified by Spain ... on 9 April 2008 ..., it is necessary to take into account, first of all, the distinction between ‘disability’ (a) in the sense of the Convention – a very broad concept that includes any ‘long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment’ that may prevent any actual equality, and (b) ‘disability’ in the sense of the Spanish Civil Code (CC) – that is to say ‘persistent physical or mental illnesses or impairments that prevent the person from caring for himself/herself’ (Article 200 of the CC) with regard to his/her exercise of the right in question under section 3 of the LOREG. The latter deals with the ability of ... each person to cast a vote as a ‘free expression of the will of the elector’, which is also guaranteed by the CRPD (Article 29 (a) (iii)), the purpose of which is ..., in line with the mandate specified by Article 9 § 2 of the Spanish Constitution: to remove obstacles that prevent or hinder free and secret voting without fear (Article 29 (a) (ii) and (iii)) by persons with disabilities and to ensure that they are ‘assisted in voting by a person of their choice, ... where necessary and at their request’. 4

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