Madrid - More than a million descendants of Spaniards who went into exile during the 1936-39 civil war or the 36-year dictatorship of General Francisco Franco could be eligible to seek Spanish nationality, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

That possibility is based on a 2007 law seeking to redress the wrongs suffered by the leftist losers of the war, which was won by Franco. The period for applications opened on December 28.

The ministry said it had increased staff in consulates to deal with applications, most of which were expected to come from children or grandchildren of exiles in Argentina, Mexico, Uruguay, Cuba, Chile, Venezuela and other Latin American countries.

Many of the applicants are expected to be people interested in emigrating to Spain for economic reasons. (dpa)