Spain calls snap election as housing protests spread nationwide

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced a general election in Spain to be held on Sunday, 29 November. The decision came after a weekend of consultations with ministers and senior figures within his Socialist Party (PSOE) regarding the future of the government. Sánchez canceled his remaining Monday activities and scheduled a televised statement from La Moncloa at 9 a.m., signaling his intention to call an early general election.

The government's defeat in Congress on Friday, following rejections of two emergency housing decrees, prompted the announcement. These decrees aimed to address protests against the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home in Madrid. After incorporating some proposals from the Catalan pro-independence party Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) and the right-wing opposition People's Party (PP), as well as far-right Vox, the government's measures were defeated.

This outcome heightened pressure on Sánchez to determine whether he could maintain governance with the existing parliamentary support.

The immediate catalyst for Sánchez's announcement was the government's loss in Congress, where both emergency housing decrees were rejected. Despite efforts to negotiate, the opposition parties—JxCat, PP, and Vox—joined forces to vote against the decrees and have intensified the pressure on Sánchez to decide on the course of action for his government.