Key facts
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering calling a snap election after two key housing decrees were defeated in parliament.
- The defeated bills aimed to curb speculative practices and extend eviction protections for vulnerable tenants.
- The Catalan separatist Junts party announced it would oppose both measures, ensuring their defeat.
- Nationwide demonstrations over the housing crisis preceded the parliamentary vote.
- Average rents in Spain have risen nearly 90% over the past decade.
- The protests were triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old tenant.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is increasingly likely to call a snap election as early as November 29, following the defeat of two key housing decrees in parliament on Friday. The government had introduced the bills to curb speculative practices and extend eviction protections for vulnerable tenants, a move spurred by nationwide demonstrations against a deepening housing crisis.
The decrees faced opposition from the Catalan separatist Junts party, which announced it would vote against both measures, ensuring their defeat. Prime Minister Sánchez responded defiantly, stating on X that "The hour of truth has arrived," and that lawmakers were obliged to cast "votes that will define them for generations to come."
Government sources had indicated to El País that Sánchez was leaning toward calling an early election, a move that could capitalize on public discontent over housing, an issue consistently ranking among Spaniards' top concerns. The center-right People's Party leads in electoral polls with 34% support, followed by the far-right Vox party at 18%. Both parties oppose measures that challenge landlords' property rights.
Friday's parliamentary vote occurred amid ongoing nationwide protests over the housing crisis, including encampments in major Spanish cities. The Spanish Tenants' Union, leading the protests, is calling for a general strike and vowing to continue occupying Madrid's Puerta del Sol square until their demands are met. The union spokesperson stated that the turnout reflected public frustration with political leaders who have failed to address a crisis where average rents have risen nearly 90% in the last decade. The protests were ignited by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the apartment she had lived in since 1956.