Michele Benericetti, CC BY 2.0via Wikimedia Commons
The confederal group asks to insert in the Ley de Memoria Democrática an additional provision establishing and regulating this concession, writes the portal Publico. The left wing formation would like the “granting of Spanish citizenship to Sahrawis and Sahrawis born in the territory of Western Sahara under the sovereignty of Spain ”, ie before February 26, 1976, the date on which Spain left that territory, which was later occupied by Morocco.
The confederal group, through the amendments to the legislative text that it has prepared separately, also provides this possibility for citizens “even when they do not have legal residence” in the Spanish state.
In this sense, he adds that the first degree descendants of consanguinity of the Sahrawis who acquired Spanish citizenship “They will have 5 years, starting from the registration in the Civil Register of the acquisition of the Spanish citizenship of one of his parents, to opt for the nationality”.
In the motivation of this amendment, Podeemos recalls that the so-called “Spanish Sahara” had the status of a metropolitan province: “It was known as province number 53. Its inhabitants had representation in the Cortes at the time of the dictatorship, the Sahrawis had an identity document Spanish national, they studied in Spanish universities, served as civil servants and were even part of our army.
The linguistic ties and daily use of Spanish that the Sahrawis still make today are evident “, add left-wing deputies
After the state government definitively ended its presence in Western Sahara, the decree promulgated in August 1976 on the option of Spanish nationality by the natives of the Sahara within a year prevented its granting, since the Spanish administration had already left the territory.
Likewise, United We can recall that in recent years Spain has developed a series of activities aimed at “strengthening historical ties with the Saharawi people, such as the recent announcement of the establishment of the Cervantes Institute centers in Laayoune and Tindoufi”.
