Madrid rejects calls to grant Spanish citizenship to Saharawis

The Spanish government continues to ignore calls to naturalize Saharawis. «Proposals to reform the nationality law in order to grant Spanish citizenship to Saharawis pose technical, security and legal problems», said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, answering a written question from a group of far-left MPs (SUMAR).

José Manuel Albares justified his refusal, citing the ongoing negotiation process under the auspices of the United Nations to reach a settlement of the Western Sahara question. This response aligns with the Socialists' position on this issue. In 2022, Pedro Sanchez's PSOE had voted against a proposal bearing the same demand, put forward at the time by Unidas-Podemos MPs.

For the record, on November 30, 2023, Sumar had exhumed the same project, providing for Spanish citizenship to be granted to Saharawis born under Spanish colonization. This bill was subsequently withdrawn last March.