Spain will grant citizenship to residents of its former African colony

According to the law, Sahrawis born before September 29, 1977, as well as their children, will be able to obtain citizenship through naturalization. This date is considered the de facto completion of the decolonization process of Western Sahara. The right to obtain citizenship will also apply to those who do not have legal residency status in Spain.

The exact number of potential recipients of Spanish citizenship is unknown. According to estimates, about 80,000 Sahrawis fall under the criteria of the law, and including their descendants, the number could reach almost 200,000 people.

168 deputies voted for the law, and 31 against. The People's Party, the main center-right opposition force, abstained, while the far-right Vox voted against. The Junts party, which supports the independence of Catalonia, also abstained. Previously, these forces supported the bill in its initial stages, when the ruling Socialist Party had not yet dared to actively promote it.

The law must now be considered by the Senate. After final approval and official publication, applicants will have three years to apply for citizenship.

To confirm eligibility, applicants will need to submit a document proving their status. This could be an identity card, a record from the census conducted under UN supervision during preparations for the never-held referendum on the status of Western Sahara, or a birth certificate. Other documents are also acceptable — school certificates, pension appointment papers, Spanish driving licenses, medical records, and hospital discharge summaries.

The initiative to promote the bill came from the Sumar party, a junior partner in the Spanish ruling coalition. One of its representatives is engineer Tesh Sidi, who herself was born in a Sahrawi refugee camp in Tindouf, Algeria.

According to her, the law should correct a historical injustice. For those legally residing in Spain, the procedure period is proposed to be shortened to two years. Previously, Sahrawis could wait 10, 14, or even 24 years before being able to apply for Spanish citizenship, including in cases where their father was Spanish.

The adoption of the law may also have diplomatic consequences for Spain's relations with Morocco. Since 1975, most of Western Sahara has been controlled by Morocco, but the UN continues to consider it a non-self-governing territory.

For many years, the conflict between Morocco and the POLISARIO Front, supported by Algeria and advocating for the independence of Western Sahara, was a complex problem for Spain. However, in 2022, Madrid departed from its traditional position of neutrality and supported Morocco's proposed plan to grant autonomy to this former Spanish colony. This was part of the process of improving Spanish-Moroccan relations.

Spain's policy towards Morocco, however, remains a subject of sharp criticism. This was particularly evident after the unprecedented recent influx of tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta. The Spanish government refrains from direct accusations against Morocco, which claims sovereignty over the African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, while right-wing political forces in Spain argue that Rabat used the migratory influx for political purposes.

Against this backdrop, the decision on citizenship for residents of Western Sahara has caused a mixed reaction in Morocco, but the official government of the country has not yet condemned this initiative.

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