Spain faces a looming political crisis and potential snap elections after the Spanish parliament rejected a government decree package aimed at reforming the country’s housing policy and halting soaring rents, business.dir.bg reported. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to decide by the end of the week whether to resign and trigger an early vote.
The legislative defeat unfolded in the Congress of Deputies following hours of heated debate that Sánchez personally joined. Lawmakers voted 178 against the cabinet’s two decrees, which were adopted just days prior to address public fury over the housing affordability crisis. The rejected measures included restricting evictions for vulnerable tenants until 2030, automatically renewing existing rental contracts, and setting stricter rules on short-term rentals, according to reporting by nova.bg.
Parliamentary Defeat Triggers Snap Election Speculation in Spain
The government’s legislative setback came after the Catalan separatist party Junts joined the opposition to vote down both decrees. Junts parliamentary spokeswoman Miriam Nogueras argued that the proposed measures would decrease housing supply and cause further uncertainty. The conservative Popular Party also opposed the package, with deputy Juan Bravo stating that housing becomes more affordable through construction rather than decrees.
Prime Minister Sánchez had warned lawmakers of the high stakes before the vote. Sources within the government told domestic media that Sánchez will decide by Sunday whether to step down, with November 29 discussed internally as a possible date for early parliamentary elections. The regular vote is currently scheduled for next year, as noted by manager.bg.
Mass Protests Follow Eviction of 87-Year-Old Tenant in Madrid
The political showdown follows nationwide demonstrations sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal Martín from her Madrid apartment of 71 years. Abascal Martín has since accepted an agreement with the company that owns the apartment and will return to her home upon discharge from a hospital where she was admitted following her eviction, dnevnik.bg reported. Her case galvanized housing activists and led to tent encampments springing up in central Madrid and other Spanish cities.
Demonstrators gathered outside parliament during the vote, chanting slogans against rising property costs. According to the Spanish Youth Council, average rents doubled over the past decade to reach 1,176 euros monthly, consuming 98.7% of a young person’s average salary. Activists from the Renters’ Union pledged to continue their demonstrations and expand protest camps despite the parliamentary rejection.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Spanish Housing Crisis
What caused the current surge in Spanish property prices?
Housing and rental prices began climbing rapidly in late 2017 following the recovery from the 2008–2013 real estate bubble burst, surging by 85.4 percent. By July, existing home prices reached a record 2,933 euros per square meter.
How does Prime Minister Sánchez’s minority government control parliament?
The government of Pedro Sánchez holds 147 seats in the 350-seat parliament and relies on shifting alliances with smaller regional and separatist parties, such as Junts, to pass legislation.
What specific protections did the rejected government decrees include?
The measures proposed banning the eviction of economically vulnerable tenants until 2030, extending the freeze on rents for existing contracts by two years, and implementing tighter regulations on short-term rentals.
Protesters Demand New Measures to Protect Tenants
Following the rejection of the decrees, thousands of protesters who had set up tent encampments on the central square in Madrid and other Spanish cities demanded that parliament swiftly approve new measures to protect tenants and curb the acute housing crisis. Demonstrators outside the parliament building chanted Your profits, our misery
while the vote took place.
Renters’ Union spokeswoman Alicia del Rio declared, The camp will continue and will continue to expand to other neighborhoods. We are aiming for a general strike
as activists pledged to maintain their pressure. Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Diaz confirmed after a conversation with Sánchez that she does not rule out the possibility of the prime minister resigning and calling early elections.
Recent opinion polls indicate that the opposition People’s Party leads with approximately 34% support, while the far-right party Vox receives about 18%. Amid these pressures, the government had presented the measures following mass protests triggered by the initial eviction of Abascal Martín, who had lived in her home since 1956.
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