Sánchez begins reflection on early election as protesters call for general strike
Spanish Prime Minister will decide this weekend whether to call early elections after his two housing decrees were rejected, as housing activists prepare fresh protests and consider a general strike as the next step.
Pedro Sánchez is considering whether to bring forward the general election after Congress recently dismissed two housing decrees put forth by his Socialist government. The parliamentary defeat has left the government in a new situation, and Sánchez must decide the future of the legislature.
According to government sources, the prime minister will weigh his options over the coming days, with the possibility of calling elections before the end of the year. Initially, the government had dismissed the idea of an early election, stating that "today is not the day." However, after the two decrees were rejected, they said they would analyze the situation without ruling out any options.
The two decrees were defeated by large margins, with 178 votes to 172 against the first and 184 votes to 166 against the second. Opposition parties, including the Popular Party, Vox, Junts, and UPN, voted against the first decree, while the PNV and Canary Islands Coalition joined the "no" camp against the second.
As Sánchez's political future hangs in the balance, protesters outside Congress have reacted immediately. Those who had been camped out in Puerta del Sol marched to Congress on Friday to follow the vote they deemed crucial to their demands. Some protesters returned to the square after the rejection of the first decree, chanting for a general strike.
A general assembly was scheduled for the afternoon to decide the next steps of the movement and the future of the camp. The Confederation of Tenants' Unions has also called for demonstrations in more than 50 Spanish cities on Saturday and signaled an escalation in the protest, with the possibility of a general strike looming.
The weekend presents two key questions that will be answered in different arenas. Politically, the outcome will determine whether Sánchez continues the legislature or calls an early election. On the streets, protests will continue in dozens of cities, and housing campaign groups will decide how to escalate their mobilization and put into practice their call for a general strike.
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