Spain calls snap election as housing protests spread nationwide

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez delivered an institutional address from La Moncloa, the seat of government in Spain, to announce that a snap general election will be held on November 29. Sánchez acknowledged that his government had “made mistakes” and had not succeeded in accomplishing everything it had set out to do. After a weekend of extensive consultations with members of his cabinet, leaders of his party, the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), and allies from other political groups, he decided to take the step of dissolving Parliament nine months before the scheduled end of the legislative term, which until now he had always intended to complete.

Sánchez’s decision follows more than a week of nationwide demonstrations over Spain’s housing crisis. The protests were sparked by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home, a case that crystallized public anger over rising rents, evictions and a chronic shortage of affordable housing. Demonstrations have since spread to more than 50 cities, including Barcelona, Valencia, Seville and Málaga.

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets, while activists have also established protest camps in central Madrid, drawing comparisons with the 15-M anti-austerity movement. The protests intensified after Congress rejected two decrees designed to strengthen protections for tenants. Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalunya) opposed both measures, joining forces with the Popular Party (PP) and Vox, despite the fact that the government had negotiated parts of their content with the Catalan separatist party.

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