Sanchez calls early election after Junts blocks housing decree
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a snap election following Junts' rejection of a tenant-protection law.
The opposition had long pressed Pedro Sánchez to set an early election date, but the prime minister consistently cited 2027 as the target. The situation changed when Junts voted against the Maricarmen decree, which halted evictions and introduced tenant protections. This defeat provided a pretext for Sánchez to call a snap election, a move he had not anticipated a week earlier.
Facing rising inflation and a hostile Congress, he concluded that postponing the vote would jeopardise budget negotiations and the government's credibility. In his announcement, Sánchez emphasized the need to curb the far-right while also targeting elite interests such as large property owners, without alienating the business sector. The decision aims to rally left-wing voters despite the government's waning popularity.
Why it matters
The early election reshapes Spain's political timeline and could alter the balance of power ahead of crucial economic decisions.
How this story developed
- Sep 29 Elderly Madrid resident allowed back into home after forced eviction protests
- Sep 29 A deal was reached that allows the senior resident to return to her apartment.
- Oct 2 Spanish cabinet approved the “Maricarmen Decree” aimed at protecting vulnerable renters.
- Oct 3 Parliament rejected the housing reform package.
- Oct 4 Union estimates 500,000 participants in Madrid while authorities put the figure at about 70,000, and negotiations for a nationwide general strike continue without a set date.
- Oct 4 Sánchez informed the King of his intention to dissolve parliament and called an extraordinary cabinet meeting to formalise the decision. The government also plans to present two housing decrees to the Permanent Deputation for final vote. Opposition leaders, including Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Isabel Díaz Ayuso, criticised the move as driven by political fear.
- Oct 4 Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is contemplating calling a snap election after the PP, Vox and Junts blocked housing-crisis decrees, prompting massive protests in Madrid.
- Oct 5 Speculation has grown that Sánchez may call a snap election following a weekend reflection period.
- Oct 5 Sánchez announced a snap parliamentary election for 29 November.
- Oct 5 Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a snap election for November 29.
- Oct 5 The PNV announced it will hold off on a vote until it receives the final draft of the decrees.
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