Wohnungspolitik: Landesweit große Demos gegen Wohnungsnot in Spanien

In Spain, tens of thousands of people protested against the housing crisis in the country, with demonstrations taking place in multiple cities such as Madrid and Valencia. The demonstrations were for the right to decent housing and better protection for renters, according to state broadcaster RTVE. Over 50 cities had planned protests for the day, including Barcelona, though its planned event was postponed due to a weather warning.

In Madrid's central Cibeles Square, numerous people gathered, standing close together and with more people joining from multiple sides. Several protest convoys converged at the square, with many participants holding banners and posters. Valeria Racu, spokesperson for Madrid's renter's association, stated, "Power is back on the streets."

She added that this protest was a warning that they would not tolerate four more years without addressing the issue in their country. Racu called for a general strike in protest of the housing crisis. In Valencia, there were isolated clashes between protesters and police, who deployed tear gas to disperse the crowd. The government's attempt to pass two decrees to tackle rising rents and evictions failed in parliament due to resistance from conservative and right-wing populist lawmakers.

Following these failed decrees, Spain's left-wing government faced a severe crisis as they struggled to pass any initiatives through parliament. Since losing the support of the Catalan separatist party Junts with seven lawmakers nearly a year ago, the government's influence has significantly diminished. Speculations about early elections have emerged, with regular elections scheduled for the coming summer.

However, based on sources close to Sanchez, politicians wish to assess the extent of public discontent following the decrees' failure and decide whether to call for early elections, taking into account the protests across Spain.