Omanghana
Spain’s Congress of Deputies has approved landmark legislation that would allow Sahrawis born in Western Sahara during the period of Spanish colonial administration, along with their direct descendants, to apply for Spanish citizenship.
The measure applies to people born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, and extends eligibility to their first-degree descendants. An estimated 70,000 to 110,000 Sahrawis could qualify for citizenship if the bill completes the remaining legislative stages.
Under the proposal, eligible applicants would obtain nationality through a naturalization certificate, known in Spanish as a carta de naturaleza. They would be given three years to submit their applications, with the possibility of extending the period by another year.
Applicants would be permitted to establish their eligibility using historical documents connected to Spain’s administration of the territory. These could include Spanish identity cards, birth certificates, school records, employment contracts and pension documents.
The legislation would also shorten the standard residency requirement for eligible Sahrawis already living in Spain. Instead of waiting 10 years before applying for citizenship, qualifying residents would be able to begin the naturalization process after two years.
The bill was introduced by the left-wing Sumar coalition and strongly promoted by Tesh Sidi, a Spanish lawmaker of Sahrawi origin. It received support from the governing Socialist Party and several regional political groups.
A total of 168 lawmakers voted in favour of the measure, while 31 members of the far-right Vox party opposed it. The conservative People’s Party and the Catalan party Junts were among those who abstained, bringing the number of abstentions to 145.
Despite its approval in the lower chamber, the proposal has not yet become law. It must proceed to the Spanish Senate for further consideration before it can receive final approval and take effect.
Supporters have described the bill as an attempt to correct a long-standing historical injustice created by Spain’s withdrawal from Western Sahara. They argue that Sahrawis who had legal and administrative ties to Spain were left without adequate protection when Madrid relinquished control of the territory without completing the decolonization process.
Western Sahara was administered by Spain until the 1970s. Its unresolved political status has remained a source of tension involving the Sahrawi independence movement, represented by the Polisario Front, and Morocco, which controls most of the disputed territory.
The parliamentary vote could create further diplomatic friction between Spain and Morocco. Madrid previously shifted its official position by supporting Morocco’s proposal to grant Western Sahara autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty.
That policy change was welcomed by Rabat but criticized by the Polisario Front and supporters of Sahrawi self-determination. The citizenship proposal could now complicate Spain’s efforts to maintain close relations with Morocco while responding to demands for historical accountability.
Proponents insist the measure is primarily about restoring legal rights to people affected by Spain’s colonial withdrawal rather than changing the government’s current diplomatic position on Western Sahara.
If approved by the Senate and enacted, the legislation would create a dedicated path to citizenship for tens of thousands of Sahrawis and their descendants with historical links to Spain.
Source: Omanghana
