In Spain, Sanchez once again bets on the ballot box amid housing crisis unrest
By bringing forward elections initially scheduled for mid-2027 to November 29, the Socialist prime minister seeks to regain the initiative and hopes to end a legislative term marred by scandals and the extreme fragility of his majority.
Spain's progressive government is under pressure to address the country's housing cost crisis following public outrage over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman. The issue has sparked protests across the nation.
The government's efforts to tackle the crisis have been met with resistance in parliament, where it lacks a majority. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's minority government, a coalition of his Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and the left-wing Sumar alliance, has struggled to pass legislation since the conservative Catalan separatist party Junts per Catalunya switched to the opposition nearly a year ago.
Sánchez has called a snap election for November 29, citing the need for a "much broader majority in parliament" to continue his work. He argued that Spain must decide whether it wants to "join the far-right wave or remain a bastion of social justice." The decision carries high risk for Sánchez, according to the Qatar Tribune.
Brief written by urgent.news from PBS NewsHour, Qatar Tribune — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
