Spanish Lawmakers Approve Bill Offering Citizenship to Western Saharans Born Under Colonial Rule

Lawmakers in Madrid have taken a major step toward addressing the legacy of Spain's colonial past by voting to offer Spanish citizenship to tens of thousands of people from Western Sahara. The legislation, which cleared a critical hurdle in the lower house of Spain's Parliament, focuses on Sahrawis who were born during the era when the North African territory was governed by Spain, prior to its contested administration by Morocco.

In a pivotal legislative session on Thursday, the lower chamber endorsed the draft law with a tally of 168 votes in favor and 31 against, while 145 lawmakers opted to abstain. The approved text outlines a naturalization pathway applying specifically to individuals born before September 29, 1977, as well as to their direct offspring. Crucially, the measure allows eligible individuals to claim Spanish nationality regardless of whether they have ever resided on Spanish territory.

Despite its successful passage through the lower house, the measure has not yet formally become law. The draft bill must now advance to the Spanish Senate, where parliamentary groups are expected to introduce and debate potential amendments. Once the Senate completes its review and proposes any revisions, the legislation will return to the lower house for a final, binding approval before taking effect.

Sahrawi representative organizations and advocacy groups have projected that the bill could alter the legal status of between 70,000 and 120,000 people, though the exact number of eligible beneficiaries remains difficult to quantify. Proponents of the initiative have characterized the legal change as a vital effort to rectify a historical injustice that occurred when colonial Spain relinquished control of the territory.

The legislative initiative was introduced in parliament by the junior left-wing coalition Sumar alongside the governing Socialist Party. A prominent voice during the debate was Tesh Sidi, a Sumar lawmaker who holds the distinction of being the first woman of Sahrawi descent to serve in the Spanish Parliament. Sidi emphasized that the bill serves to restore national identity cards to Sahrawis who previously held them before being stripped of their status by the state.

The voting patterns reflected clear political fractures within Spain regarding historical accountability and foreign policy. While the left-leaning governing coalition backed the measure, the main conservative opposition, the People’s Party, chose to register abstentions. Meanwhile, the far-right Vox party cast the 31 dissenting ballots, voicing firm opposition to extending nationality through this naturalization initiative.

The historical backdrop of the legislation dates back to the dissolution of Spain's colonial administration in Northwest Africa. Western Sahara remained under Spanish rule until 1975, when Madrid formally relinquished its administrative authority under agreements signed with Morocco and Mauritania. Following the end of Spanish governance, Morocco asserted control over the area and now holds the vast majority of the disputed territory.

Spain's departure triggered a lasting regional conflict over the governance and sovereignty of the land. The Polisario Front, an independence movement backed by Algeria, has long sought international recognition for an independent state designated as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The competing territorial claims between Rabat and the Polisario Front have left the political status of Western Sahara unresolved for decades.

As a direct result of the protracted conflict, the Sahrawi population remains widely dispersed. Tens of thousands reside in established refugee camps situated in Tindouf in western Algeria, while others have migrated to various nations abroad. At the same time, a significant portion of the Sahrawi community continues to live within the territory under Moroccan administration.

The parliamentary advancement of the citizenship bill comes amid heightened diplomatic sensitivities between Madrid and Rabat. Bilateral ties have faced strain over ongoing migration pressures, highlighted by an acute crisis in Spain's North African territory of Ceuta. The enclave witnessed the arrival of at least 70,000 migrants crossing over from Morocco during the month of July.

While Spain's leftist administration has refrained from directly blaming Morocco for the border influx, right-wing political parties in Spain have accused Rabat of orchestrating the migrant surge for political leverage. Compounding these diplomatic tensions is the fact that Morocco does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta or Spain's other North African territory of Melilla.

Despite the intricate diplomatic backdrop, the proposal to grant Spanish nationality to Sahrawis has not prompted an official condemnation from the Moroccan government, even as it sparks debate within the country. Public opinion in Morocco has been divided over the initiative, but state-aligned figures have indicated that the measure does not directly challenge Moroccan administrative positions.

Moroccan media outlets previously reported remarks from Ramadan Messaoud, a member of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs and president of the Sahrawi Association for Human Rights, who indicated in July that Rabat had no issue with Sahrawis receiving Spanish citizenship. Messaoud pointed out that numerous individuals had already acquired Spanish nationality through other existing legal mechanisms in recent years.

As the bill heads into the Senate for further debate and potential revisions, observers and advocates await the final legislative stages. If enacted into law, the statute will establish a direct legal bridge between modern Spain and the generation of Sahrawis who lived under its rule, extending nationality rights across generations shaped by decades of territorial displacement.