Spanish lawmakers back citizenship for Saharawis

Spanish lawmakers have approved a bill that could grant citizenship to tens of thousands of Sahrawis and their descendants. The legislation, which must now pass the senate, would give Spanish nationality to Sahrawis born before September 29, 1977, and allow their descendants to obtain citizenship through naturalization.

Estimates of those eligible vary, with DW News citing a range of 70,000 to over 100,000, while Euronews reports around 80,000 Sahrawis are believed to be eligible, with some estimates reaching almost 200,000 when including descendants.

The move could test Spain's already delicate relations with Morocco, especially after a border crisis in Ceuta. The bill was supported by Spain's ruling Socialist Party and its left-wing coalition partner Sumar, while the conservative People's Party abstained and far-right Vox opposed it.

Brief written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories), DW News, Euronews — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.