Spanish prime minister calls early election amid housing crisis

Spain's prime minister has decided to call an early election, facing increasing pressure from protests over housing issues.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced today that he will call an early election for 29/11, stating it is "time for the Spanish people to decide the future they want for themselves and their country." The move comes as Sanchez seeks to "secure a greater parliamentary majority" amid growing public discontent over a national housing crisis.

The announcement was made less than 72 hours after his government failed to gain parliamentary support for two key housing decrees. These measures were designed to alleviate increasing public pressure concerning Spain's escalating rental prices.

The proposed legislation, which included provisions for automatic lease renewals and restrictions on evicting vulnerable tenants, was rejected by opposition parties in parliament. This defeat marks another political setback for the Socialist party leader, one of the few left-wing leaders still in power in Europe.

The parliamentary rejection intensified public outrage, leading tens of thousands to march in Madrid and other Spanish cities last weekend. Protesters voiced their opposition to exorbitant rental costs and demanded government intervention.

A significant catalyst for the recent wave of protests was the forced eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman, from her Madrid apartment on 23/9.

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, waiting at her home before police arrived for eviction on 23/9. _AP_

Abascal had resided in the apartment near El Retiro Park since 1956, growing up and living there with her parents before inheriting their old-style lease, which cost 568 USD per month.

Her stable living situation changed in 3/2018 when the real estate company Urbagestion Desarrollo e Inversion purchased the building for 280,787 USD. The company subsequently demanded a rent increase to approximately 3,000 USD monthly, a figure far exceeding Abascal's pension of 1,478 USD.

Despite a prior eviction on 23/9, which sparked protests with dozens gathered outside her home, the widespread public condemnation led the landlord to allow Abascal to return to her Madrid apartment at the original rental rate.