Spain wins fight over TV debate’s far-right guest list

The European Court of Human Rights ruled Spain was within its rights to block Atresmedia's planned five-party 2019 debate lineup that included Vox, then polling at 11.9% but holding no national seats, while excluding three smaller parties that already held parliamentary seats. Spain's electoral commission had rejected the lineup after those parties complained, and Atresmedia withdrew Vox's invitation rather than add the excluded groups.

Judges found that prioritizing past election results over opinion polls served fair electoral competition and that Atresmedia remained free to design a debate respecting the excluded parties. Vox went on to win seats in that April election, and by November's rerun Atresmedia included it in an eight-party debate; a law professor called the ruling foreseeable given the court's established deference to states on election-media rules, though she noted Spain's fragmented parliament may warrant updated criteria.

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