Spain will go to the polls on 29 November in early parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Monday, admitting his minority government had blundered and failed to keep parts of its programme. The announcement came three days after his party lost a housing vote in parliament and hours after protests swept several Spanish cities.
Sanchez made the date public during a televised address, putting an end to speculation that started when his office announced a Monday morning press conference. Until recently, the electoral calendar pointed to a vote roughly a year away, AFP noted. Spanish media had already linked the expected snap election to Friday’s ballot in the chamber, where the cabinet’s housing relief plans fell through, delivering another blow to a prime minister who governs without a stable majority.
Presenting the decision, Sanchez argued that the country needs a chamber capable of approving reforms rather than blocking them. His remarks came as a direct response to the parliamentary arithmetic that has repeatedly frustrated his legislative agenda.
An apology and a promise of renewal
The prime minister also used the statement to acknowledge shortcomings of his own cabinet, saying it had committed many errors and had not delivered everything it promised voters. In his view, the way out of the impasse is a fresh mandate rather than trying to patch together support in the current parliament.
– We must renew the support of society. (…) I know that a significant part of it is dissatisfied today – he said in the televised address.
The political pressure on Sanchez intensified decisively on Saturday, when thousands took to the streets in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other Spanish cities. Many of those protesting were furious that parliament had rejected proposals designed to give tenants stronger protection. They demanded that the right to housing be respected and called for a general strike. Scuffles with police were reported in some locations.
The eviction that ignited the protests
The wave of demonstrations began on 23 September, when Maria del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old known as Maricarmen, was forced out of her Madrid flat after living there for almost seven decades. Hundreds of people tried to stop the eviction. According to Euronews, officers attempted to break up the crowd using batons and pepper spray.
– They refused her even a few hours to collect her things – her lawyer told journalists on the day of the eviction.
The story of the flat reaches back to 1956, when Maricarmen’s father signed the tenancy agreement. After his death the contract passed to his wife, and following her death in 2005 it was transferred to Maricarmen. In 2018 a private investment company bought the building and argued that the second transfer of the tenancy rights had been invalid, meaning the lease had lapsed. The monthly rent, which had stood at 500 euros for decades, was suddenly raised to 2,650 euros, nearly twice the pension the 87-year-old receives. Even an appeal from the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which asked the Spanish authorities to guarantee her decent housing, did not halt the eviction. In the end, the senior citizen moved in with relatives.
Źródło: Polsat News, Fot. Polsat News
