MADRID, October 9 — Spain will hold a snap general election on November 29 after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the dissolution of parliament, following the defeat of his minority government’s housing measures and a wave of protests that have seen hundreds camp out in central Madrid for more than a week.
Sánchez made the announcement in a televised address from the Moncloa Palace on October 5, saying he had informed King Felipe VI and would convene an extraordinary cabinet meeting to formalize the dissolution. “To do more, we need to renew and broaden public support,” he said, framing the vote as a choice between his government’s progressive policies and a right-wing coalition that he argued would roll back rights and freedoms.
The election was triggered three days earlier when the Congress of Deputies rejected two housing decrees proposed by Sánchez’s government. The measures would have extended protection against evictions until 2030 and introduced regulation for temporary rentals and room lettings. The conservative People’s Party (PP), the far-right Vox party, and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts voted against the decrees. The PP argued that increasing construction, rather than imposing further regulation, was the best response to Spain’s housing shortage.
A Movement Sparked by an Eviction
Public anger over housing had been building since the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid resident who had lived in her apartment for seven decades. Abascal was removed from her home after the investment fund that purchased the property demanded a 230 percent rent increase she said she could not afford. She died two weeks after the eviction, and her case became the catalyst for the protests that have since spread across the country.
The protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, a major tourist hub, began in late September and has grown steadily. By October 1, more than 1,000 tents had been erected, and the number continued to rise. On Saturday, October 3, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Madrid and other Spanish cities to demand affordable housing, with authorities estimating 70,000 participants in the capital and organizers claiming 500,000.
Political Calculus
The election had originally been expected before the end of summer 2027. Sánchez, who has led Spain since 2018, acknowledged mistakes and unfinished reforms while defending his administration’s economic, social, and environmental record. He said a broader parliamentary majority was needed to address inequality, improve public services, and expand access to housing.
Polls place the PP ahead of Sánchez’s Socialist Workers’ Party, though the conservatives would likely require Vox’s support to form a government. The campaign will test whether the housing crisis—and the broader question of whether Spain’s economic recovery has been felt by ordinary households—can reshape the country’s political landscape in the seven weeks before voters go to the polls.