- Regardless of whether someone was born in the country or has been living and working there for years, the requirement to be able to vote is to have Spanish nationality
- In Salt, 1 out of every 3 registered citizens does not have the right to vote
The philologist and social activist Safia El Aaddam (Tarragona, 1995) was born and raised in Catalonia, but has never had the right to vote in an election. Just like Mostafà Shaimi (Oujda, Morocco), who has lived in Catalonia since the mid-1990s and also cannot vote because he does not have Spanish nationality and is considered a foreigner by Spanish institutions. "As a citizen, you have the same obligations, such as paying taxes, but they deny you the right to express your vote", denounces Shaimi, who is a philosopher and professor at the University of Girona (UdG), where he is preparing his thesis doctoral
The philologist and social activist Safia El Aaddam (Tarragona, 1995) was born and raised in Catalonia, but has never had the right to vote in an election. Just like Mostafà Shaimi (Oujda, Morocco), who has lived in Catalonia since the mid-1990s and also cannot vote because he does not have Spanish nationality and is considered a foreigner by Spanish institutions. "As a citizen, you have the same obligations, such as paying taxes, but they deny you the right to express your vote", denounces Shaimi, who is a philosopher and professor at the University of Girona (UdG), where he is preparing his thesis doctoral
Excluded from municipal elections
The citizens of Catalonia, the Islands and the Valencian Country are called to the polls on May 28 to elect municipal political representatives . However, there is a part of the population that will be excluded, even though they live, work and are rooted in the country. According to the Spanish Institute of Statistics , there are 2,278,296 foreigners in Catalonia, the Islands and the Valencian Country. They are 16% of the population . Of these, only a minority will be able to vote in municipal elections: those who originate from a country in the European Union or a country with which the Spanish state has signed a reciprocity agreement. The list of reciprocating countries includes Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago.
However, there are a few countries that do not have agreements with the Spanish state, such as Morocco, Argentina, China and Pakistan , which make up some of the most important diasporas in our country. This means that these people cannot participate in decisions that affect their daily lives, such as the management of public services, urbanization, housing, education, culture, health, security, mobility or occupation
“There are Pakistanis who have been living here for more than fifteen and twenty years and cannot vote even though they would like to. They know the political system and want to vote, but are denied that right. It's sad", says Javed Ilyas , president of the Association of Peaceful Workers of Catalonia . “In Pakistan, we have a strong political tradition and many Pakistanis are interested in us. I am convinced that many more people would participate in politics, if they could vote. And they would feel more part of Catalan society. Now we feel like second-class citizens", he adds.
The citizens of Catalonia, the Islands and the Valencian Country are called to the polls on May 28 to elect municipal political representatives . However, there is a part of the population that will be excluded, even though they live, work and are rooted in the country. According to the Spanish Institute of Statistics , there are 2,278,296 foreigners in Catalonia, the Islands and the Valencian Country. They are 16% of the population . Of these, only a minority will be able to vote in municipal elections: those who originate from a country in the European Union or a country with which the Spanish state has signed a reciprocity agreement. The list of reciprocating countries includes Bolivia, Cape Verde, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Iceland, Norway, New Zealand, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago.
However, there are a few countries that do not have agreements with the Spanish state, such as Morocco, Argentina, China and Pakistan , which make up some of the most important diasporas in our country. This means that these people cannot participate in decisions that affect their daily lives, such as the management of public services, urbanization, housing, education, culture, health, security, mobility or occupation
“There are Pakistanis who have been living here for more than fifteen and twenty years and cannot vote even though they would like to. They know the political system and want to vote, but are denied that right. It's sad", says Javed Ilyas , president of the Association of Peaceful Workers of Catalonia . “In Pakistan, we have a strong political tradition and many Pakistanis are interested in us. I am convinced that many more people would participate in politics, if they could vote. And they would feel more part of Catalan society. Now we feel like second-class citizens", he adds.
Obtaining nationality, a slow and bureaucratized process
In Spain, the requirement to be able to vote in any election is to have Spanish nationality. The Spanish nationality law establishes that every baby born in Spain has the nationality of its parents. It is a legal criterion called ius sanguinis , a Latin expression that means "right of blood". It implies that if one of the parents has the nationality, so does the child. But if neither parent has it, the child, despite being born in Spanish territory, is considered a foreigner. This casuistry can mean that a person born and raised in the Catalan Countries does not have the right to vote or stand for elections or public oppositions.
This is what Safia El Aaddam has lived for more than twenty years. After a very long procedure, he has been granted citizenship for a few months. The upcoming municipal elections will be the first in which he can participate. It has cost him hands and sleeves.
Since her parents are from Morocco, she was considered a foreigner. For this reason, he decided to open a procedure for nationality by residence. This route requires proof of ten years of continuous residence in the country, no criminal record and a constitutional and socio-cultural knowledge exam and another DELE A2 Spanish language exam.
The bureaucratic slowness has made him wait many years: "I asked for the nationality when I was eighteen. They gave me a first date after seeing each other for two years. When I went there, I was told that the process had changed and that it had to be ordered online. I made it. Then I applied for the ESO dispensation, which eludes you from taking the sociocultural exam and it took me two years. Later I asked for the background of the country of origin, even though I have never lived there in my life. In short, the whole process has dragged on for years and years."
In this sense, Mostafà Shaimi, who is also a member of the Espai Antiracista de Salt, criticizes that nationality is the way to access rights. "Rights are linked to people, not to their origin. We should allow an immigrant who has a residence permit to vote in municipal elections", he claims.
In Spain, the requirement to be able to vote in any election is to have Spanish nationality. The Spanish nationality law establishes that every baby born in Spain has the nationality of its parents. It is a legal criterion called ius sanguinis , a Latin expression that means "right of blood". It implies that if one of the parents has the nationality, so does the child. But if neither parent has it, the child, despite being born in Spanish territory, is considered a foreigner. This casuistry can mean that a person born and raised in the Catalan Countries does not have the right to vote or stand for elections or public oppositions.
This is what Safia El Aaddam has lived for more than twenty years. After a very long procedure, he has been granted citizenship for a few months. The upcoming municipal elections will be the first in which he can participate. It has cost him hands and sleeves.
Since her parents are from Morocco, she was considered a foreigner. For this reason, he decided to open a procedure for nationality by residence. This route requires proof of ten years of continuous residence in the country, no criminal record and a constitutional and socio-cultural knowledge exam and another DELE A2 Spanish language exam.
The bureaucratic slowness has made him wait many years: "I asked for the nationality when I was eighteen. They gave me a first date after seeing each other for two years. When I went there, I was told that the process had changed and that it had to be ordered online. I made it. Then I applied for the ESO dispensation, which eludes you from taking the sociocultural exam and it took me two years. Later I asked for the background of the country of origin, even though I have never lived there in my life. In short, the whole process has dragged on for years and years."
In this sense, Mostafà Shaimi, who is also a member of the Espai Antiracista de Salt, criticizes that nationality is the way to access rights. "Rights are linked to people, not to their origin. We should allow an immigrant who has a residence permit to vote in municipal elections", he claims.
" Democratic fraud"
There are cities in the country where the lack of suffrage for immigrants particularly affects municipal politics. This is the case of Salt , where, according to data from Espai Antiracista, one citizen out of every three registered cannot vote . UdG professor Mostafa Shaimi describes the situation as "democratic fraud". "If we have established that in a democracy the population chooses its representatives, the fraud is that this choice is not democratic, because you have a large number of people who do not have the possibility to choose, or to be chosen", he states. Shaimi sees this as encouraging the rise of the far right. He says that if the immigrant population could vote in Salt, "Vox would not have the three councilors it has now".
The philosopher believes that the fact that immigrants cannot vote is a "major act of state racism". "A person, in order to be able to develop in a dignified way, needs to participate in politics. Because you are from Morocco, Gambia or Senegal, they deny you the right to vote, but, on the other hand, you do have all the obligations: pay taxes, respect the law, etc.,” he criticizes.
In a similar vein, Safia El Aaddam considers that one cannot speak of full democracy if there are "people born and raised in a country that does not allow them to vote." And he adds: "We were born here and we don't have the right to vote. It is a very big discrimination. This means that people born here cannot vote, cannot be civil servants, cannot be candidates for elections..." "They deny you your identity. And you see that you have fewer rights than other people because you are the daughter of immigrants", she complains.
There are cities in the country where the lack of suffrage for immigrants particularly affects municipal politics. This is the case of Salt , where, according to data from Espai Antiracista, one citizen out of every three registered cannot vote . UdG professor Mostafa Shaimi describes the situation as "democratic fraud". "If we have established that in a democracy the population chooses its representatives, the fraud is that this choice is not democratic, because you have a large number of people who do not have the possibility to choose, or to be chosen", he states. Shaimi sees this as encouraging the rise of the far right. He says that if the immigrant population could vote in Salt, "Vox would not have the three councilors it has now".
The philosopher believes that the fact that immigrants cannot vote is a "major act of state racism". "A person, in order to be able to develop in a dignified way, needs to participate in politics. Because you are from Morocco, Gambia or Senegal, they deny you the right to vote, but, on the other hand, you do have all the obligations: pay taxes, respect the law, etc.,” he criticizes.
In a similar vein, Safia El Aaddam considers that one cannot speak of full democracy if there are "people born and raised in a country that does not allow them to vote." And he adds: "We were born here and we don't have the right to vote. It is a very big discrimination. This means that people born here cannot vote, cannot be civil servants, cannot be candidates for elections..." "They deny you your identity. And you see that you have fewer rights than other people because you are the daughter of immigrants", she complains.
A campaign to claim the right to vote
As a result of this situation, social organizations demand that the right to vote be extended to the immigrant population, which they consider to be a matter of justice and democracy. They ask that the electoral law be amended so that the right to vote is recognized for all people who reside in the country, regardless of their nationality or their administrative situation.
While this does not happen, organizations have been organizing campaigns to claim the right to vote for years. The first in our house was during the Spanish elections of 1992, when SOS Racisme promoted "Vote in color". The experience of some European countries again inspired SOS Racisme in 1996, when it organized a symbolic election for immigrants on the Rambla in Barcelona.
Precisely, in recent years, Safia el Aaddam has been one of the visible faces of the movement to claim the right to vote for everyone. In the 2019 municipal elections, she promoted the " Voting is a right, I give you my vote" campaign , in which she put people who do not vote in contact with immigrants or children of immigrants without the right to vote. Thus he made 2,000 people without suffrage able to vote symbolically.
El Aaddam explains that this year he will promote the campaign again. "I've been asked that a lot. There are people who want to vote and people who want to vote. I will activate the campaign again, as in every election since we started it. I will not stop until everyone can vote.”
As a result of this situation, social organizations demand that the right to vote be extended to the immigrant population, which they consider to be a matter of justice and democracy. They ask that the electoral law be amended so that the right to vote is recognized for all people who reside in the country, regardless of their nationality or their administrative situation.
While this does not happen, organizations have been organizing campaigns to claim the right to vote for years. The first in our house was during the Spanish elections of 1992, when SOS Racisme promoted "Vote in color". The experience of some European countries again inspired SOS Racisme in 1996, when it organized a symbolic election for immigrants on the Rambla in Barcelona.
Precisely, in recent years, Safia el Aaddam has been one of the visible faces of the movement to claim the right to vote for everyone. In the 2019 municipal elections, she promoted the " Voting is a right, I give you my vote" campaign , in which she put people who do not vote in contact with immigrants or children of immigrants without the right to vote. Thus he made 2,000 people without suffrage able to vote symbolically.
El Aaddam explains that this year he will promote the campaign again. "I've been asked that a lot. There are people who want to vote and people who want to vote. I will activate the campaign again, as in every election since we started it. I will not stop until everyone can vote.”
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