Judge Milagros Aparicio rejected calls from rival candidate Juan Miguel Villar Mir for the 10,511 postal votes to be included in the results and agreed with Calderon's view that there were insufficient controls to guarantee their legitimacy.

"I declare that electoral rule number 15 which regulates the postal vote is ineffective and therefore the votes themselves are null," the judge said in her ruling.

Villar Mir and the other defeated candidates can appeal against the decision.

Two days before the July 2 poll a judge backed complaints from Calderon and fellow candidate Arturo Baldasano that the postal vote should be temporarily suspended because of possible irregularities.

Calderon was declared the winner following a controversial and bitter election campaign after receiving 8,344 votes, just 246 more than Juan Palacios and 1,642 more than Villar Mir.

Spanish media have reported that a large number of the postal votes had been for Villar Mir.