Spanish Foreign Minister Opposes Citizenship Law Proposal for Sahrawis

Saturday 06 April 2024 - 10:00

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has voiced opposition to the Sumar party's proposed law to grant Spanish citizenship to individuals from the Southern provinces, born during the colonial era before 1976.

"The proposals to reform nationality regulations to extend Spanish citizenship to Sahrawis raise technical and legal security issues that must be clarified in accordance with the current judicial system, taking into account the negotiation process within the framework of the United Nations, whose centrality must be ensured in all cases," wrote Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares in a written response to the Sumar parliamentary group, as reported by Iberian media.

The party submitted a bill to the Congress of Deputies to grant Spanish citizenship to individuals from the Southern provinces, born during the colonial era before 1976. A similar initiative to one proposed by Unidas Podemos in Congress in February 2023 and rejected by the PSOE and the PP with the abstention of Vox.