Spanish Parliament Advances Historic Bill to Grant Citizenship to Western Saharans

Spain is extending citizenship to Western Saharans who lived under Spanish colonial rule, alongside their children. Spanish lawmakers have backed legislation to grant citizenship to tens of thousands of Western Saharans born during the era when Spain administered the disputed territory, which is now largely controlled by Morocco.

Spain’s lower house of Parliament approved the legislation on Thursday with a vote of 168-31 and 145 abstentions. The bill still requires approval from the Senate before it can officially become law. The text grants Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born before September 29, 1977, as well as to their children through naturalisation, even if they have never lived in Spain.

While the exact number of beneficiaries remains unknown, Sahrawi groups estimate that between 70,000 and 120,000 people could qualify for the legislation. Supporters have described the move as a necessary step to address a historical injustice committed by colonial Spain in the Western Sahara.

The vote arrives at a sensitive time for Madrid's diplomatic relations with Rabat, which have been complicated by a migration crisis in Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta and the arrival of at least 70,000 migrants from Morocco in July. Spain’s leftist government has avoided directly blaming Morocco—which does not recognise Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta or Melilla—while right-wing critics accuse Rabat of orchestrating the surge for political reasons.

Morocco claims sovereignty over Western Sahara and began asserting its control after Spanish rule concluded. Meanwhile, the Algerian-backed Polisario Front independence movement continues to push for the recognition of an independent state known as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. Many Sahrawis currently live in refugee camps located in Tindouf in western Algeria, abroad, or within Western Sahara itself.

The initiative to grant Spanish nationality has generated mixed opinions in Morocco but has not drawn official government condemnation. Moroccan media cited Ramadan Messaoud, a member of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs and president of the Sahrawi Association for Human Rights, stating in July that Rabat had no issue with Sahrawis securing Spanish citizenship, noting that others had done so in recent years.

Western Sahara remained a Spanish colony until 1975, when Spain withdrew its administration following agreements with Morocco and Mauritania. Spain’s ruling Socialist Party and its junior left-wing partner Sumar both supported the bill, while the opposition conservative People’s Party abstained and the far-right Vox voted against it.

“With the adoption of this legislation, we are restoring—and I emphasise, restoring—the Spanish national identity card to those Sahrawis who once held it and from whom this state took it away,” stated Tesh Sidi of the leftist Sumar coalition, who is the first woman of Sahrawi origin to serve in Spain’s Parliament.

The bill will now move to the Senate for potential amendments before heading back to the lower house for a final vote.