PP moves to scrap direct Spanish citizenship for Sahrawis

A direct route to Spanish citizenship for Sahrawis faces the axe in Madrid, Spain: the conservative People’s Party (PP) wants applicants to live legally in Spain for two years instead. On Wednesday, the Senate’s Justice Committee debates and votes on the bill. As it stands, people born in Western Sahara before 29 September 1977 could gain citizenship without legal residency in Spain.

What the PP wants to change

The PP, which holds a majority in the Senate, plans to put forward up to nine amendments. They would remove the direct route and the administrative process for handling those applications, including a proposed dedicated computer system. Instead, the Civil Code would explicitly allow Sahrawis from Western Sahara to apply after two years of legal residency.

The government would set out later how applicants must prove they are Sahrawi. The PP also wants the law to take effect six months after publication, rather than four.

Where the bill goes next

The bill passed Congress in early September, when the PP abstained. If the Justice Committee approves the changes, they go to the full Senate. The bill then returns to Congress, which votes only on the amendments. Vox has separately filed a veto seeking to send the entire bill back to Congress.

Under the version Congress passed, first-degree descendants of those granted citizenship through the direct route would have five years to apply too. That route, along with its application process, is now at stake.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com