Spain's Sánchez calls snap Nov. 29 election over housing fight
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called an early national election for Nov. 29 after lawmakers voted down his emergency housing measures. Rents and evictions have set off protests across Spain. Polls show the conservative People's Party ahead, 34% to 26% for his Socialists.
Spain will vote on Nov. 29. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the snap election Monday, days after lawmakers rejected two emergency housing measures his government had put forward.
The measures aimed to cut evictions and curb real estate speculation. Right-wing opposition parties joined forces to block them, the Associated Press reported.
The fight grew out of one woman's story. Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted last month from the Madrid apartment where she had lived since 1956, according to Politico Europe. Her televised eviction sparked protests in cities across Spain.
In a televised address, Sánchez framed the vote as a choice. Spaniards, he said, must decide whether to "join the far-right wave" or keep Spain "a bastion of openness, social justice, and environmental responsibility."
The polls are not on his side. Politico's poll average puts the center-right People's Party at 34%, the Socialists at 26% and the far-right Vox party at 18%. That points to a possible government of the People's Party with Vox.
People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo welcomed the vote. "At last, the Spanish people will decide," he said, according to AP. He said the election was about "Spain defeating Sánchez and what he represents."
Sánchez, 54, has led Spain since 2018. He has run a minority government with the left-wing Sumar alliance since 2023. He relies on smaller parties to pass laws, which has slowed his agenda. Legal cases involving his party, his wife and his brother have also weighed on him. His wife and brother deny wrongdoing.
He also faced criticism this summer after tens of thousands of people, mostly Moroccans, crossed into Ceuta, Spain's territory in North Africa. Sánchez points to strong growth and job gains. But Politico noted that prices and housing costs have outrun pay for many households.
The left is scrambling. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz is not running again. Sumar plans to name a new leader Oct. 17 as it rebrands as the "Broad Front," Politico reported.
The national election had been due next year. Sánchez has a reputation as a political escape artist who wins races he looked set to lose.
What we know: Spain votes Nov. 29, and the People's Party leads the polls.
What we don't: Whether housing anger can close the gap, and who will lead the parties to Sánchez's left.
Where outlets agree Politico and AP both report that Sánchez set the snap election for Nov. 29 after lawmakers rejected his emergency housing measures.
Where they differ Sánchez casts the vote as a stand against a far-right wave, while People's Party leader Feijóo says it is about voters finally removing Sánchez.