The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has called for an early election on the 29th of November after his legislation to accommodate the housing crisis has been shot down in parliament. This began upon the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her apartment, as she was unable to afford the sharp price hike for her apartment, causing mass protests against the Spanish government. In a televised address to the people on Monday, Sánchez mentioned that in order to get reforms passed, they need "a broader progressive majority" that is able to "overcome the resistance of the elites".

Housing isn't the sole issue causing problems in Sánchez's government, with his party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, having been caught up in numerous corruption scandals and are currently facing pressures on other cost-of-living issues, as well as immigration. Sánchez has mentioned that there are still "a lot of problems to solve, particularly in the areas of inequality, of public service areas, and housing".

Sánchez addressing the people | Source: EU Debates

Sánchez has been the Prime Minister of Spain since 2018, and, despite losing the election, the winning party did not have enough seats to form a government. His opposition, Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the Conservative People's Party, followed up with his own interview after the election was announced and mentioned that "At last, Spaniards will be able to decide". He also mentioned that this won't be "just another election" and will allow voters to choose between "decline or change, lies or change, incompetence or change, division or change, corruption or change".

The protests that sparked the election started on Saturday, as tens of thousands took to the streets in Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, calling for greater protections for tenants in their homes. This comes not long after Maricarmen Abascal, 87 years old, was forcibly evicted from her home in Madrid in late September. This occurred due to a legal glitch which occurred due to a loophole that granted her landlord the right to raise the rent from €500 (A$802) to €2,650 (A$4,250). This was later lowered to €1,650 ($2,646), which is €300 ($480) more than her pension. She was then removed from her apartment that she had lived in for over 70 years and passed away in hospital.

Maricarmen Abascal being forcibly removed from her home | Source: Reuters

In order to defuse the protests, the left-wing coalition government responded with three separate decrees focusing on rental leases and evictions of vulnerable tenants. The shadow minister for finance, housing, and infrastructure, Juan Bravo, said that "housing doesn't get cheaper with decrees; it gets cheaper with more homes".

Protests in Madrid over the housing crisis | Source: BBC

Spain will have their election on November 29, 2026.