Abstaining Spaniards 'donate' their votes to resident foreigners

The campaign was set up by Safia El-Aaddam, who is in her early 20s and born in Spain to a Moroccan couple who had emigrated there.

She condemns the 'institutional racism' that exists in practically every country and which prevents anyone other than a national from voting in a general election.

Safia is one of thousands of young adults born in Spain but who do not have Spanish nationality because of the 'delays, red tape and cost' that she and others like her face when attempting to become citizens.

It costs around €1,000 to become a Spanish citizen, and proof of residence exceeding 10 years – two for those married to a Spaniard or a native of a former colony or of Portugal – must be supplied along with reports from police to show a clean record, and two exams passed.

These are not too onerous – the Spanish language test is at level A2, about the equivalent of a good O-level or GCSE standard, and the 'culture, law and society' exam is 25 multiple-choice questions, of which at least 15 must be answered correctly.

But Safia, who has been trying to obtain Spanish nationality since she was 18, says she flatly refuses to take exams proving she speaks the language of and knows the basics about the only country she has ever lived in, 'on principle'.

“I don't see why I should have to. I was born here,” she argues.

“If we [foreign nationals] have the same obligations as Spanish citizens, then we should also have the same rights.

“It's about time we reflected on what 'universal suffrage' actually means, and recognised that it is in fact a right for everyone, irrespective of citizenship.”

She has set up the 'vote exchange' website, Votaresunderecho.es, and the hashtag #VotarEsUnDerecho ('Voting is a right').

And anyone who is not interested in voting in general or regional elections but is eligible to do so can add their name to a database, so that those who cannot vote and want to are able to have their say through someone else.

Safia set up the campaign ahead of the April elections, and on that occasion, over 1,600 foreign residents – mostly children born in Spain to expat parents – put their names down, with 900 abstaining Spanish nationals 'donating' their votes.

A petition was filed with the European Commission several years back by local councillor from Parcent (Alicante province), Jacqui Cotterill, who is British and whose young adult children were born in Spain, calling for all EU citizens to be able to choose whether to vote in their country of origin or country of residence – or both.

She pointed out the irony of her representing a party on her local council that she is not allowed to vote for at national level.

As yet, no further action has been taken by the EU, even though the petition was viewed positively.

EU nationals living in a member State other than their own are allowed to vote in local council and European Parliamentary elections, but only those with citizenship of their resident nation can vote in national or regional elections or in most referenda.

Spain is no different in this respect to any other country in the western world, although since 2011, it has reached deals with 12 non-EU countries allowing their citizens to vote in local council elections provided they have been legally resident in Spain for at least five years.