Spanish Lawmakers Advance Citizenship Bill for Western Saharans Born Under Colonial Rule

Spain’s lower house of parliament has approved a draft law that would grant Spanish nationality to tens of thousands of Sahrawis who were born when Western Sahara was under Spanish colonial administration, as well as to their descendants. The move marks a significant legislative step toward addressing long-standing grievances connected to Madrid’s colonial past in the North African territory.

The measure cleared the Congress of Deputies on Thursday with 168 votes in favor, 31 against, and 145 abstentions. The positive vote in the lower chamber allows the proposed legislation to proceed further into the parliamentary process, though several procedural steps remain before it can be enacted into law.

Following this initial parliamentary hurdle, the draft text will now be forwarded to the Spanish Senate. In the upper chamber, lawmakers are expected to consider potential amendments to the text before the finalized legislation is returned to the lower house of parliament for a final decisive vote.

Under the provisions set out in the legislative proposal, Spanish citizenship through naturalization would be extended to Western Saharans born prior to September 29, 1977. In addition, the draft legislation includes provisions allowing their children to obtain nationality, regardless of whether the applicants have ever established residency within Spain.

While authorities do not have an exact tally of the total population that might meet the criteria, advocacy groups representing Sahrawis estimate that between 70,000 and 120,000 individuals could potentially benefit from the naturalization process. Proponents of the measure have characterized the initiative as a necessary effort to remedy what they describe as a historical injustice stemming from Spain’s colonial presence in Western Sahara.

The bill was championed in parliament by the junior left-wing coalition Sumar, which officially submitted the legislative initiative. Lawmaker Tesh Sidi, who made history as the first woman of Sahrawi origin to serve in Spain’s parliament, emphasized the symbolic and legal importance of returning citizenship rights that had previously been revoked.

Addressing fellow parliamentarians, Sidi underlined that the passage of the legislation represents a restoration of legal status rather than the creation of a new privilege. She noted that the state is actively returning the Spanish national identity card to Sahrawis who previously held it prior to Spain's departure from the territory and who subsequently had those documents taken away.

The political configuration during the parliamentary vote reflected broader divisions within Spanish politics. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s ruling Socialist Party joined its governing coalition partner Sumar in supporting the measure, while the main conservative opposition group, the People’s Party, opted to abstain, and the far-right Vox party voted against the bill.

The historical backdrop to the legislative debate dates back to 1975, when Spain officially terminated its colonial administration over Western Sahara. Madrid relinquished control over the area following agreements reached with Morocco and Mauritania, paving the way for a protracted territorial conflict that continues to shape regional diplomacy.

In the decades following Spain's withdrawal, Morocco has asserted its sovereignty over the vast majority of Western Sahara. This territorial claim is contested by the Polisario Front, an Algerian-backed independence movement that has long advocated for the international recognition of an independent sovereign state known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.

The political dispute has left the Sahrawi population deeply dispersed. Today, substantial numbers of Sahrawis continue to reside in refugee camps located around Tindouf in western Algeria, while others live in various countries across the international diaspora or remain within the disputed territory itself.

Within Morocco, the Spanish legislative initiative has generated mixed opinions across the public sphere, but it has notably stopped short of drawing an official condemnation from the government in Rabat. Official channels have largely maintained a measured response regarding Madrid's processing of citizenship claims for former colonial subjects.

Moroccan media outlets highlighted statements made in July by Ramadan Messaoud, a member of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs and president of the Sahrawi Association for Human Rights. Messaoud observed that Rabat had no objections to Sahrawis obtaining Spanish citizenship, pointing out that numerous individuals had already successfully acquired nationality through existing channels in recent years.

The legislative progress comes during a period of heightened sensitivity in bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco, which have historically experienced diplomatic friction. Recent tensions have been driven by broader migration challenges along their shared borders, most notably centered on Spain's North African territory of Ceuta.

Concerns intensified following the arrival of at least 70,000 migrants who crossed into Ceuta from Morocco during July. Morocco does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta or Spain's other North African enclave of Melilla, complicating border management and bilateral diplomacy between the two Mediterranean neighbors.

Domestically, Spain’s leftist coalition government has avoided directing blame at Rabat for the border crisis in Ceuta. In contrast, right-wing opposition parties in Madrid have openly accused the Moroccan government of intentionally orchestrating the surge of migrants to achieve political objectives in its interactions with Spain.

As the citizenship bill advances toward debate in the Spanish Senate, lawmakers from across the political spectrum will continue to weigh the historical responsibilities owed to former colonial subjects alongside the complex foreign policy considerations that govern Spain's ongoing relationship with Morocco.