Spain's Sánchez Calls Snap Election for November After Housing Reform Defeats

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced an early general election for 29 November, a decision that follows a series of parliamentary setbacks on legislation designed to address the country's escalating housing crisis. The surprise move, confirmed during a televised address on Monday, came after two decree laws proposed by his minority government were rejected by lawmakers.

The legislation had been introduced in response to public anger over the treatment of tenants in Spain's increasingly unaffordable rental market. The government's proposals were defeated in parliament on Friday, leaving Sánchez without a clear legislative path to deliver on one of the most pressing issues facing Spanish households. Speculation about a snap poll had been building throughout the weekend as it became evident that the minority coalition could not secure enough support to advance its housing agenda.

At the centre of the public outcry is the case of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman who was forcibly removed from her Madrid apartment on 23 September after she was unable to keep up with a steep rent increase. A legal loophole allowed her landlord to raise her monthly rent from €500 to €2,650, a sum far beyond her pension. Although the rent was later reduced to €1,650, it remained €300 higher than her monthly pension income. Abascal, who had lived in the property for more than seven decades, was carried out on a stretcher and subsequently admitted to hospital. Her lawyer has since indicated that she will be permitted to return home, but the episode has become a powerful symbol of the housing pressures facing vulnerable Spaniards.

The incident ignited widespread demonstrations. On Saturday, tens of thousands of people marched in cities including Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, demanding stronger protections for renters. The scale of the protests placed additional pressure on Sánchez's coalition, which is made up of his ruling Socialist party and the junior partner Sumar alliance. Without a parliamentary majority, the government has relied on support from Catalan and Basque nationalist and pro-independence groups to govern.

In an effort to quell the unrest, the government had put forward two decree laws. The first sought to suspend evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, extend rental leases due to expire before 2028 by two years, increase taxes on tourist apartments, and restrict the purchase of residential properties by entities the government describes as "vulture funds." The second, more contentious decree included the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a measure strongly advocated by left-wing parties and the tenants' organisation Sindicato de Inquilinas. Both were rejected.

Opposition parties argued that government intervention in the housing market would ultimately reduce the supply of rental properties and drive prices even higher. Juan Bravo of the conservative People's Party said last week that "housing doesn't get cheaper with decrees, it gets cheaper with more homes," framing the debate as one of supply rather than regulation.

Housing has not been the only challenge confronting Sánchez's leadership. His party has been embroiled in a series of corruption scandals in recent months. In April, his wife, Begoña Gómez, was charged with corruption following a two-year criminal investigation. She is accused of using her relationship with the prime minister to advance her professional interests, allegations that have weighed heavily on the government's public standing. The administration has also faced sustained pressure over cost-of-living issues and immigration, further eroding its political capital.

In his televised address, Sánchez acknowledged that his government had fallen short in some areas. "We have made mistakes and have not achieved everything we had set out to do," he said, adding that significant problems remained, particularly regarding inequality, public services and access to housing. He argued that pushing through meaningful reforms required "a broader progressive majority" capable of overcoming "the resistance of the elites."

The election had not been due until the summer of 2027 at the latest. Sánchez has served as prime minister since June 2018, and his Socialist party finished second in the most recent general election in 2023. Although the People's Party secured the most seats, it fell short of an outright majority, allowing Sánchez to remain in power through agreements with left-wing parties and support from Catalan and Basque nationalist and pro-independence groups.

Most opinion polls suggest the conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party in the forthcoming election. However, they would probably require the backing of the hard-right Vox party to form a government, a prospect that could reshape Spain's political landscape. Speaking after Monday's announcement, People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo said: "At last, Spaniards will be able to decide." He described the upcoming vote not as "just another election" but as a choice between "decline or change, lies or change, incompetence or change, division or change, corruption or change."

The snap election will therefore serve as a referendum not only on the government's handling of housing but also on broader questions of governance, coalition politics and the direction of Spanish democracy. With the opposition framing the vote as a chance for renewal and the government presenting it as an opportunity to secure a stronger mandate for progressive reform, the campaign is set to be fiercely contested. The outcome will determine whether Sánchez can rebuild momentum or whether Spain shifts decisively to the right.