Tens of thousands of Sahrawi people born under Spanish rule in Western Sahara could soon obtain Spanish nationality under a new legislative effort aimed at addressing historical injustices. Spain's lower house of Parliament voted 168 to 31 on Thursday to approve a bill that grants citizenship to Western Saharans born before September 29, 1977, as well as to their children, even if they have never lived in Spain.
Sahrawi groups estimate that between 70,000 and 120,000 people could benefit from the measure. However, the bill is not yet law. It must now pass through the Spanish Senate, where lawmakers are expected to propose amendments before sending the text back to the lower house for final approval.
Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1975, when Spain relinquished its administration under agreements with Morocco and Mauritania. Morocco subsequently asserted control over the territory, while the Algerian-backed Polisario Front independence movement continues to seek an independent state. Today, many Sahrawis live in refugee camps in western Algeria or in Western Sahara itself. Supporters of the bill, including Sumar lawmaker Tesh Sidi—the first woman of Sahrawi origin in Spain's Parliament—called the vote a key step toward restoring national identity cards to those stripped of them by the state.
The vote comes during a delicate period for diplomatic relations between Madrid and Rabat following recent migration surges in Spain's North African territory of Ceuta. The bill was backed by Spain's ruling leftist coalition, while the main opposition conservative People's Party abstained and the far-right Vox voted against it. Moroccan officials have not publicly condemned the proposal, with representative Ramadan Messaoud noting that Rabat has no problem with Sahrawis securing Spanish citizenship.