MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap general election for Nov. 29 after parliament rejected his minority government’s emergency housing package amid nationwide protests over rents and evictions, The Guardian, BBC News and France 24 reported.
In a televised address, Sánchez said Spain needed “to renew and broaden the support of the people” and to secure a broader progressive majority. The next election had been due by summer 2027; bringing it forward makes Nov. 29 Spain’s fifth general election in a decade and a high-stakes gamble for one of Europe’s last major left-leaning governments.
Congress on Friday defeated a decree package that would have suspended evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, automatically renewed many rental contracts, raised taxes on tourist apartments and restricted purchases by investment funds. The conservative People’s Party, far-right Vox and the Catalan Junts party voted against the measures. Junts’ defection underscored the fragility of Sánchez’s coalition with Sumar, which has not passed a full budget since 2023 and depends on uneasy parliamentary arithmetic.
Protests intensified after the eviction last month of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman removed from a Madrid home where she had lived for about 70 years after a sharp rent increase. Tens of thousands marched again over the weekend in Madrid and other cities. Sánchez is betting that housing anger can mobilize left-leaning voters even though polls show the PP ahead — though often short of an absolute majority that would allow Alberto Núñez Feijóo to govern without Vox.
Feijóo framed the early election as proof of Socialist failure after eight years in power. Analysts noted Sánchez also faces pressure over a migration crisis in the North African enclave of Ceuta and corruption allegations involving family members and allies. Before dissolution, the government signaled it may try to keep housing decrees alive through standing committees. The campaign will test whether voters blame the opposition for blocking relief — or the prime minister for failing to fix Spain’s housing market sooner.
Sources: The Guardian, BBC News, France 24
—
