Housing protests sweep Spanish cities after tenant relief rejected

Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Madrid and other cities across Spain on Saturday, October 3, demanding affordable housing. The demonstrations came a day after lawmakers rejected measures intended to provide relief for tenants.

The government's proposals included automatic renewal of tenancy contracts and restrictions on evicting vulnerable tenants. Opposition parties voted down those measures in Spain's parliament on Friday.

Attendance estimates for Saturday's march in the capital differed sharply. Authorities put participation at 70,000 people, while organisers estimated that 500,000 had joined the demonstration.

The protests extended a crisis lasting more than a week, triggered by the eviction last month of an 87-year-old pensioner, Maricarmen Abascal, from her Madrid flat.

The Catalan separatist party Junts voted against the housing bills, arguing that they lacked rigour. The government's reliance on the party's support made its opposition significant to the defeat.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of Spain announced a snap general election during an address to the nation on Monday, Oct. 5. The announcement followed days of protests against rising housing costs.

Speaking from the Palace of Moncloa in Madrid, Sanchez set the early general election for Nov. 29. He said his government needed a larger progressive majority in Parliament to advance its agenda.

Sanchez has been prime minister since the summer of 2018. He leads a minority coalition of his Socialist Party and the left-wing Sumar, which holds 147 of Parliament's 350 seats.

The last election took place in 2023, and voters had not been scheduled to return to the polls until 2027. The early vote was called amid widespread public discontent as the government struggled to pass legislation addressing the housing crisis.

On Friday, Parliament rejected the ruling coalition's legislation to protect vulnerable tenants from eviction until 2030. The package also included protections against real estate purchases by investment funds and tax breaks for landlords who lowered rent.

Spain's Sanchez announces snap general election after housing protests

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