Voting rights for integrated immigrants

Spain's ruling Socialist Party is preparing a law that would allow even non-EU immigrants to vote in local elections, provided their countries of origin also give the same rights to expatriate Spaniards. The conservative daily El Mundo comments: "It is true ... that voting rights represent an important integration factor for immigrants. Nevertheless, this newspaper has ... consistently maintained that the right to vote must be tied to Spanish citizenship, and that this condition may not be qualified or watered down, and also entails duties. ... We believe the right to vote should only be given to those immigrants who wish to integrate into society, and not to those who are only here temporarily, or who commute back and forth between Spain and another country."

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