By Xinhua,
Madrid : Some 900,000 resident immigrants in Spain will vote in the country’s municipal elections, the foreign ministry has said.
The Spanish government is in the process of signing reciprocity agreements with 15 countries who recognise the rights of Spanish citizens living in their territories.
In a statement Sunday, the foreign ministry said some 900,000 citizens from the 15 countries could vote in 2011 municipal polls.
The voting rights will apply to adults who have lived legally in Spain for five years without interruption.
Spain has already signed reciprocity agreements with Colombia and Peru. The agreements with Argentina and Ecuador will be signed Monday and Feb 25 respectively.
Agreements will also soon be signed with Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, South Korea, Iceland and New Zealand.
Spain is the first country in the European Union to recognise this right, according to the foreign ministry.