Spain’s Congress approves bill on special citizenship for Sahrawis
Spain’s Congress of Deputies has approved a bill providing for a special procedure to obtain Spanish citizenship for Sahrawis born in Western Sahara during Spanish rule. A total of 168 deputies voted in favor of the document, 31 voted against, and another 145 abstained. The bill must still be considered by the Senate, Al Jazeera English reports.
Who will be able to apply
The bill allows people born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, to apply for Spanish citizenship through a special procedure without meeting the usual residence-period requirements. It will also apply to their first-degree descendants.
Sahrawis who legally reside in Spain and meet the document’s conditions will be able to seek citizenship after two years of residence instead of the usual 10 years. Supporters of the initiative consider it a way to redress a historical injustice connected to the end of Spain’s administration of the territory in 1976.
According to Reuters, between 70,000 and 110,000 people could potentially be eligible for citizenship, although estimates vary. Those who obtain Spanish citizenship will also become citizens of the European Union. Potential applicants may include residents of Western Sahara and Sahrawi refugees near Tindouf in Algeria, where the Polisario Front is based.
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Significance for Morocco
The initiative does not change the status of Western Sahara, does not recognize an independent Sahrawi state, and does not grant people who receive Spanish citizenship sovereignty over the territory. Morocco considers Western Sahara part of its territory, while the Polisario Front seeks the region’s independence.
For Rabat, the formation of a broader community of Spanish and EU citizens with personal or family ties to Western Sahara may be significant. In 2022, the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez supported Morocco’s autonomy proposal for the territory, calling it the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute. This contributed to the restoration of relations between Madrid and Rabat after a diplomatic crisis and to stronger cooperation in migration, security and trade.
In Spain, the bill has also caused political divisions: the ruling Socialist Party and its allies from Sumar supported the document, the conservative People’s Party abstained, and Vox voted against it. The discussion concerns Spain’s colonial legacy in Western Sahara and the legal mechanism for granting citizenship.
