Spain calls snap election amid housing crisis

In a televised address on Monday, October 5, Sánchez said he had informed the head of state and would convene an extraordinary cabinet meeting to dissolve parliament and call the election.

“To do more, we need to renew and broaden public support,” he said, according to the official transcript published by La Moncloa.

The announcement came three days after the conservative People’s Party (PP), far-right Vox and Catalan pro-independence party Junts voted down two housing decrees. The measures included extending protection against evictions until 2030 and regulating temporary rentals and room lettings.

The PP argued that increasing construction, rather than introducing further regulation, was the best response to the housing shortage. It welcomed the election announcement, saying voters would have an opportunity to “rebuild our country”.

Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, defended his administration’s economic, social and environmental record while acknowledging mistakes and unfinished reforms. He said a broader parliamentary majority was needed to address inequality, improve public services and expand access to housing.

“It’s up to you now,” he told voters. He framed the election as a choice between continuing his government’s progressive policies and a right-wing coalition that, he argued, would roll back rights and freedoms.

Public anger over housing intensified following the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident who had lived in her apartment for 70 years. She said she could not afford a 230% rent increase demanded by the investment fund that bought the property.

Her case triggered demonstrations and a protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square. Authorities estimated that 70,000 people joined Saturday’s demonstration in the capital, while organisers put attendance at 500,000.

The election had previously been expected before the end of next summer. Polls place the PP ahead of Sánchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party, although the conservatives could require Vox’s support to form a government.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that protests over the migrant crisis in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta turned violent in early September, with demonstrators burning makeshift migrant shelters and attempting to block humanitarian aid deliveries.