Hornachos initiates the withdrawal of the 1937 Honorary Citizen title

The City Council of Hornachos (Badajoz) has initiated the procedure to withdraw the honorary title of “Benemeritus Citizen” that the municipal corporation granted to Diego Franco Guerrero by agreement on January 4, 1937. The decision was formalized by Mayoral decree and is published as public information in the Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz No. 213, dated November 6, 2026, in Announcement 4386/2026, within the Local Administration section.

An ex officio file opened at the request of residents

The file begins with Mayoral decree No. 2026/579, dated November 3, 2026, which initiates ex officio the procedure for the review and revocation of the distinction. The initiation occurs “following the requests submitted by the Hornachega Historical Memory Association,” as stated in the announcement itself.

The procedure is processed under file number 2026/112/X999 and is supported by two regulations:

• Article 40 of Law 20/2022, of October 19, on Democratic Memory, which regulates the review and revocation of honorary distinctions.
• Article 25.14 of Law 1/2019, of January 21, on historical and democratic memory of Extremadura.

The municipal agreement now being questioned dates back to January 4, 1937, in the midst of the Civil War, and recognized Diego Franco Guerrero as a “Benemeritus Citizen” of the town, according to the designation reproduced in the official announcement.

Twenty business days to examine and appeal

The publication in the gazette opens a public information period of twenty business days, counted “from the day following the publication of this announcement” in the Badajoz BOP. The procedure complies with Article 83 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations.

During this period, any natural or legal person may consult the file and submit allegations through two channels:

• In person, at the City Council Secretariat, at Plaza de España No. 1, 06228 Hornachos, during public office hours.
• Electronically, through the municipal electronic office, sede.hornachos.es.

The announcement appears signed by the mayor-president, Francisco Buenavista García, with the date of the digital signature, and occupies page 2 of 3 of the provincial gazette.

Legal framework of democratic memory

The withdrawal of honors granted during the Civil War and the dictatorship is one of the scenarios provided for in the state and regional democratic memory regulations. Law 20/2022 enables administrations to review and, where appropriate, annul distinctions that recognize individuals linked to the military uprising or repression, while the 2019 Extremaduran law provides for this power within the regional scope.

The procedure does not in itself imply the revocation of the title: the opening of the public information period is a preliminary step, after which the City Council must issue a reasoned resolution regarding the proposal to withdraw the distinction.

Local impact and significance of the gesture

The decision places Hornachos among the Extremaduran municipalities that have activated legal mechanisms to review recognitions inherited from the 1936-1939 period. In this case, the initiative originates from organized civil society, through the Hornachega Historical Memory Association, and is channeled via an administrative file open to all citizens.

For the residents, the process opens the possibility to intervene in a matter of a symbolic nature but with concrete administrative effects: the eventual suppression of an honorary title that has remained in the municipality’s official nomenclature for nearly ninety years.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Badajoz, no. 213, November 6, 2026, Local Administration, p. 2 (official reference: Announcement 4386/2026).