Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called a November 29 snap election after parliament rejected key housing measures amid nationwide protests over affordability.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced an early general election for November 29 after lawmakers rejected emergency housing measures. The decision comes after right-wing opposition members blocked two decrees aimed at reducing evictions and curbing real estate speculation. Junts joined the Popular Party and Vox in voting down the measures.
Sanchez made the announcement during a televised speech from La Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Monday. He said Spain needed a broader progressive majority and that voters should decide the country’s future. The move is risky for Sanchez’s Socialist Party which currently trails in opinion polls.
However his housing proposals were welcomed by protesters who had already mobilized over affordability. Sanchez took office in 2018 after a vote to remove center-right leader Mariano Rajoy from power according to indiatoday.in. The housing crisis has grown worse in recent months, with public outrage rising after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid.
This incident helped fuel demonstrations across Spain demanding government action on housing prices and access.
The opposition Popular Party joined forces with other parties to defeat the emergency laws that Sanchez had proposed. The setback led to speculation that Sanchez might call a snap election earlier than planned. In his address Sanchez argued that a broader progressive coalition could help Spain deal with its biggest challenges.
He emphasized that the Spanish people should decide what kind of future they want for their country. Sanchez has been Spain’s prime minister since 2018 and is known for his international stance on migration and human rights. His government has also faced legal issues involving members of his party and family.
He has struggled with managing a humanitarian crisis at Spain’s border in Ceuta after thousands of Moroccans crossed into the territory. Sanchez leads a coalition minority government that includes the left-wing group Sumar. His reliance on smaller parties has limited his ability to pass major legislation.
Throughout his career Sanchez has been seen as a political survivor who can win elections despite difficult odds. Political-science professor Oriol Bartomeus said the housing issue allows Sanchez to frame the election around an issue favorable to his party’s position. His main rival is Popular Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who says this election will be about defeating Sanchez.
Feijóo added that this is not like past elections and that the Spanish people will decide what happens next. Sanchez said he had convened an extraordinary Cabinet meeting to dissolve parliament and formally call the November 29 election.
The election is expected to take place about eight months earlier than originally planned.
IMAGE: Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón. Photo: PSOE Extremadura / Wikimedia, taken 2014-07-16, CC BY 2.0