Spain's Sánchez Calls Snap Election for November 29 After Housing Reform Defeats

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced an early general election for November 29, a decision that followed the defeat of key housing legislation in parliament and a wave of public protests across the country. The announcement, made in a televised address on Monday, comes after his minority coalition government lost votes on two decree laws designed to strengthen protections for renters.

The election was not due until the summer of 2027 at the latest, making the move a significant political gamble for Sánchez, who has led Spain since June 2018. Speculation about a snap vote had been mounting throughout the weekend after parliament rejected the government's housing measures, leaving the administration without a clear path to enact its reform agenda.

Speaking from Madrid, Sánchez framed the election as a necessary step to secure a mandate for his progressive programme. He said that pushing through reforms required "a broader progressive majority" capable of overcoming what he described as "the resistance of the elites". His comments appeared aimed at rallying left-wing voters around the idea that only a strengthened progressive bloc can deliver meaningful change on housing and social policy.

The immediate trigger for the election was the parliamentary rejection of two decree laws. The first included a suspension of evictions for vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year extension for rental leases set to expire before 2028, tax increases on tourist apartments, and restrictions on purchases of residential properties by investment funds that the government characterises as "vulture funds". The second, more contentious decree provided for the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a long-standing demand of left-wing parties and tenant advocacy groups such as the Sindicato de Inquilinas.

Opposition parties argued that government intervention in the housing market would backfire. 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", summarising the right's position that increasing supply, rather than regulating rents and evictions, is the appropriate response to the crisis.

The political pressure on Sánchez intensified after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home on September 23. A legal loophole allowed her landlord to raise her rent from €500 to €2,650, later reduced to €1,650 — still €300 more than her monthly pension. She was removed from the apartment she had lived in for more than 70 years on a stretcher and subsequently admitted to hospital.

Abascal's case quickly became a symbol of Spain's broader housing emergency, drawing national attention and public outrage. Her lawyer has since said she will be able to return to her home, but the incident had already catalysed widespread anger. On Saturday, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona, demanding stronger protections for tenants and affordable housing.

Housing, however, is not the only challenge confronting Sánchez's leadership. His party has been embroiled in a series of corruption scandals in recent months, and the government has faced sustained pressure over cost-of-living issues and immigration. In his address, Sánchez acknowledged these difficulties, saying: "We have made mistakes and have not achieved everything we had set out to do." He added that "a lot of problems to solve" remain, particularly regarding inequality, public services and access to housing.

Sánchez's coalition consists of his ruling Socialist party and the junior partner Sumar alliance, but it does not command a majority in the 350-seat Congress of Deputies. This structural weakness has repeatedly complicated the passage of legislation, forcing the government to negotiate with smaller regional parties on a case-by-case basis.

The prime minister's path to power in 2023 illustrated this dynamic. Although the conservative People's Party won the most seats in that election, it fell short of a majority. Sánchez remained in office after reaching agreements with left-wing parties and securing the support of Catalan and Basque nationalist and pro-independence groups, a coalition that has often proved fragile on contentious votes.

Most opinion polls suggest the conservatives are likely to emerge as the largest party in the forthcoming election. However, they would probably need the backing of the hard-right Vox party to assemble a governing majority, a prospect that would mark a significant shift in Spanish politics and could have implications for the country's position within the European Union.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the People's Party, welcomed the election announcement. "At last, Spaniards will be able to decide," he said, framing the vote as a pivotal moment. He argued it would not be "just another election" but a choice between what he characterised as "decline or change, lies or change, incompetence or change, division or change, corruption or change".

The coming campaign is expected to centre heavily on housing, an issue that has become one of the most potent in Spanish politics as rents and property prices have surged in major cities. The government's defeated decrees represented its most ambitious attempt to address the crisis, and their rejection has now triggered a national vote that will test whether voters favour tougher market regulation or the opposition's supply-focused approach.

For Sánchez, the snap election represents both a risk and an opportunity. By calling the vote now, he may seek to capitalise on public anger over housing and mobilise left-leaning voters who sympathise with the protesters' demands. Yet the corruption scandals and the broader cost-of-living pressures weighing on his government could equally bolster the opposition's argument that a change of direction is needed.

With the election set for November 29, Spain now enters a compressed campaign period in which housing policy, economic management and the country's political direction will all be contested. The outcome will determine not only who governs Spain but also how one of Europe's largest economies responds to a housing crisis that has pushed affordability to the top of the public agenda.