Why Spain’s new Sahrawi citizenship law matters to Morocco
The new citizenship bill for Sahrawis touches a sensitive fault line in Madrid’s ties with Rabat.
Spain’s Congress has approved a bill that would open a special route to Spanish citizenship for Sahrawis born in Western Sahara while the disputed territory was under Spanish occupation.
The bill passed by 168 votes to 31, with 145 abstentions. It must still go through the Senate before it can become law.
The proposed law would allow people born in Western Sahara before September 29, 1977, to apply for Spanish nationality through a special procedure without having to meet the normal residency requirements. First-degree descendants would also be covered.
The debate is important to the Moroccan side because it shows that the measure is not simply a technical change to Spanish nationality law. It has also become part of a discussion inside Spain about its colonial past and its relationship with Western Sahara.