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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a snap general election for November 29 during a televised address on October 5 2026 after his minority government’s two housing decrees were rejected in parliament. The premier acknowledged mistakes and shortfalls in his administration’s record while stating that a broader progressive majority was required to overcome resistance from elites and advance reforms on inequality and access to housing. According to CNN he told viewers the time had come for the Spanish people to decide what future they want for themselves and for their country.
The call follows more than a week of protests that began after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home of seven decades. A legal loophole enabled her landlord an international investment fund to raise the rent from €500 to €2,650 before settling at €1,650 which still exceeded her monthly pension by €300. EL PAÍS reported that demonstrations subsequently spread to more than 50 cities with protest camps established in central Madrid drawing parallels to the 15-M movement.
Tens of thousands of people marched in cities including Barcelona Valencia and Seville on Saturday with organisers estimating 500,000 participants in the capital while official figures placed the Madrid turnout at 70,000. The Guardian noted that average rents have climbed nearly 90 percent over the past decade fuelling demands for tighter regulation of evictions tourist rentals and speculative purchases. Sánchez’s coalition responded to the unrest by drafting decrees that would suspend vulnerable tenant evictions until 2030 extend expiring leases and raise taxes on short-term holiday apartments.
Those measures were defeated in Congress on October 3 with the first losing by 178 votes to 172 and the second by 184 votes to 166 after opposition from the conservative People’s Party Vox and the Catalan Junts party. POLITICO reported that the setback prompted weekend consultations with cabinet members and party allies leading Sánchez to dissolve parliament nine months before the scheduled 2027 vote. The government had viewed the legislation as essential to addressing a crisis that has left many Spaniards struggling with affordability.
Sánchez’s administration has also grappled with corruption scandals a migrant surge in Ceuta and the repercussions of recent deadly floods all of which have weighed on public support. Al Jazeera figures show his Socialist Party trailing the People’s Party in polls with a potential right-wing coalition including Vox emerging as the likely outcome. The prime minister who has held office since 2018 framed the election as an opportunity to renew his mandate and continue transforming Spain.
Opposition leaders including People’s Party head Alberto Núñez Feijóo had urged an early vote arguing that Sánchez lacked backing in both parliament and the streets. The Guardian analysis indicated that while Sánchez hopes to capitalise on housing anger the campaign will test whether progressive voters will rally behind his record or shift toward alternatives. Results on November 29 could determine the direction of policy on housing and other cost-of-living pressures for years ahead.
