Spain’s lower house backs citizenship pathway for Western Sahrawis
The bill would reduce the residence requirement for eligible Sahrawis and their direct descendants, but still needs approval from the Senate.
Spain’s lower house has approved a bill creating an accelerated pathway to citizenship for Western Sahrawis born during Spanish rule and their direct descendants.
The measure passed by 168 votes to 31. The ruling Socialists, Sumar and regional parties supported it, while the conservative People’s Party abstained and Vox voted against.
Under the proposed route, eligible applicants would need two years of legal residence in Spain, compared with the usual 10-year requirement. Sahrawis would have three years to apply once the law takes effect, while direct descendants would have five years after their parents’ registration.
The bill still requires approval from Spain’s Senate and does not yet grant citizenship. Estimates of the potential beneficiaries vary: representatives of the Algeria-backed Polisario Front have cited about 110,000 people, while the measure’s provisions refer to up to 70,000 Sahrawis and their children.
Spain ruled Western Sahara from 1884 to 1976. The United Nations classifies the territory as non-self-governing; Morocco claims it, while the Polisario Front seeks an independent Sahrawi state.
The move comes amid strained Spain-Morocco relations over migration and other territorial and diplomatic issues. Rabat has not officially condemned the bill and has denied claims by Spanish opposition parties that Moroccan authorities were involved in a mass crossing into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta.
