Spain Advances Legislation Granting Citizenship to Western Saharans

Madrid has moved significantly closer to granting Spanish citizenship to residents of Western Sahara following an overwhelming vote in the lower house of parliament on Thursday. The legislation, which analysts estimate could benefit more than 100,000 people, aims to restore nationality to those born in the North African territory while it was under Spanish colonial rule.

For Mohamed Mohamedna, a 52-year-old resident of Vitoria who has lived in Spain for two decades, the parliamentary vote represented a long-awaited milestone. “This is a great, historic day,” Mohamedna told Al Jazeera, noting that he has been classified as stateless since his arrival. He is among tens of thousands of Sahrawis who may soon be eligible to apply for a Spanish passport.

The bill passed with 168 votes in favor and 31 against. The ruling Socialist party, the far-left Sumar coalition, and various regional parties supported the measure, while the conservative People’s Party abstained and the far-right Vox party voted against it. Tesh Sidi, the first woman of Sahrawi origin to serve in the Spanish parliament and a member of Sumar, described the move as restoring national identity documents that were taken from Sahrawis.

Under Spanish law, the new legislation will formally recognize the ties between the Sahrawi population and Spain. It also extends eligibility to descendants of those granted citizenship. Applicants will have three years to seek nationality, a period extendable to four years. Direct descendants, such as sons and daughters, will have five years from the date their parents are registered to apply.

The law creates an accelerated path to citizenship by residence, requiring only two years of legal stay in Spain rather than the standard decade. This places Sahrawis on equal footing with citizens from most Latin American countries, as well as Sephardic Jews and nationals of the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, and Portugal.

According to representatives of the Polisario Front, an Algeria-backed independence movement, approximately 110,000 Sahrawis could qualify. Additionally, up to 70,000 Sahrawis and their direct descendants may gain citizenship. Proof of status can be established through various documents, including registration receipts for the never-held UN referendum, driver’s licenses, pension records, or any official Spanish documentation showing birth in the territory before September 29, 1977.

The initiative is part of a broader series of measures known as the “grandchildren law,” which allows descendants of Spaniards who fled or emigrated during the Civil War and the subsequent Franco dictatorship to claim nationality. In an effort to minimize diplomatic friction with Morocco, the Socialist government agreed to replace the term “Sahrawi people” with “Sahrawi population” or “Sahrawis,” a change that drew criticism from their left-wing allies in Sumar.

The vote comes against a backdrop of strained relations between Spain and Morocco. Diplomatic tensions escalated in July when more than 70,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Moroccan authorities denied involvement in the mass crossing, rejecting accusations from Spanish opposition parties. Analysts warn that the citizenship bill could further complicate an already delicate relationship involving issues of migration, airspace, and territorial waters.

Pablo Simon, a political analyst at the University Carlos III in Madrid, noted that while confrontations between the two nations are common, this legislation represents a significant historical restoration of nationality. Morocco has not yet issued an official condemnation of the citizenship move, despite having recognized Spanish sovereignty over Western Sahara through the 1976 withdrawal and later affirming its own claims via the Abraham Accords.

Western Sahara was a Spanish colony from 1884 until 1976. Although the UN classifies the area as a non-self-governing territory, efforts to hold a referendum on independence have been stalled for years. Spain previously supported a referendum but shifted its policy in 2022 to back Morocco’s autonomy proposal, a decision made amid diplomatic pressures following a migrant crisis in 2021.

As the bill now proceeds to the Senate for approval, advocates like Mohamedna remain hopeful. “We have been fighting for this for many years and finally it has come to pass,” he said.