Spain Calls Snap Elections on November 29 After Nationwide Housing Protests Erupt Over Evictions
Spain calls snap elections for November 29, 2026, following massive nationwide housing protests and soaring rents. Read the full Policy Wire report.
POLICY WIRE — Madrid, Spain — Spain has been gripped by widespread civil unrest over a severe housing shortage, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to dissolve parliament and call snap national elections for November 29, 2026. The emergency vote was scheduled eight months ahead of schedule after emergency relief bills failed to secure parliamentary approval.
The demonstrations originally ignited following the controversial eviction of 87-year-old Maria del Carmen Abascal from her apartment in Madrid’s upscale Retiro neighborhood last month. Ms. Abascal, whose family had rented the property since 1956, was removed on a stretcher, sparking national outrage over skyrocketing rents that have surged more than 80% over the past decade.
According to data from the Youth Council of Spain, average rental prices across the country consume over 98% of the average salary for individuals under 30 years old. Although the investment fund that acquired the building later reversed the eviction, public anger continued to spread, with citizens demanding stricter anti-fraud rules, rental protections, and bans on evictions without alternative housing.
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The legislative crisis deepened when a divided parliament voted down a Socialist-led government package that proposed eviction bans until 2030, short-term rental regulations, and automatic contract renewals. A crucial blow came from the Catalan separatist party Junts, which ultimately voted against the measures and doomed the bills.
Following the parliamentary defeat, thousands of protesters gathered in Barcelona for a weekend demonstration that turned violent, resulting in property damage, thrown stones, roughly 30 injured police officers, and at least 13 arrests. Amid the escalating unrest, the Sanchez administration approved a fresh 21-point proposal on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, offering easier renting and buying terms, regulated room rentals, and speculative real estate purchase bans.
Because the upcoming election announcement bypasses the full 350-member parliament in favor of an interim 69-member body, the government remains optimistic that the new 21-point package will pass. Prime Minister Sanchez, who leads a fragile coalition formed in 2023, is leveraging the political fallout to seek a stronger mandate during Spain’s fifth national election in ten years.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
