How protests in Spain led to snap elections and whether the government will change

On Monday, 5 October, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the dissolution of parliament and snap elections, which are set to take place on 29 November.

The catalyst was the rejection by the Congress of Deputies of two government housing decrees. The Socialist-led coalition under Sánchez introduced the measures in response to social unrest following the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her apartment in Madrid after she was unable to pay the rent.

At this point, it appears increasingly likely that Spain’s snap elections could mark the end of the last major socialist government in the EU – as the far right continues to triumph, step by step and country by country.

And in Spain, opinion polls point to a very likely and convincing victory for the right.

Read more about the situation in Spain in the article by European Pravda journalist Iryna Kutielieva: All in for the prime minister: how the housing crisis triggered snap elections in Spain and whether this will save Sánchez.

Spaniards have been demanding in recent weeks that the government address the problem of housing affordability, and protests have swept across the country.

The immediate trigger was the story of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. The woman was forced to leave the apartment where she had lived for 70 years. Her building was purchased by a company that raised the rent by 275%, to €2,650 per month.

It was footage of Abascal being carried out of her Madrid apartment on a stretcher after police broke down the door that sparked the first protest in Madrid.

Housing costs and the lack of affordable housing had long topped the list of Spain’s most pressing political and social problems.

After the eviction of 87-year-old Abascal and the mass protests that followed, Sánchez’s government introduced two new decrees aimed at tackling the country’s housing crisis. The measures were intended to freeze rents, make rental agreements open-ended, ban the eviction of socially vulnerable people and regulate short-term apartment rentals for tourists.

However, right-wing opposition parties united against Sánchez’s proposals, arguing that radical intervention in the housing market would only make the problem worse.

This parliamentary defeat highlighted what had already been becoming increasingly clear in recent months: Sánchez no longer has a parliamentary majority to pass important legislation. This became the key factor behind the decision to call snap general elections. The regular elections were due to be held in 2027.

Sánchez is likely hoping to capitalise on the anger among his supporters over the rejection of the government’s housing measures and make housing a central issue of the election campaign. In doing so, he is trying to recover lost ground in the polls.

He appears determined to campaign as a defender of citizens’ interests. The rejected bills will be put to a vote in a permanent committee of the Congress of Deputies, which will perform the functions of the legislature after the dissolution of parliament is announced. This already looks like an electoral maneuver designed to keep voters focused on the prime minister’s efforts on housing.

Of course, Sánchez is taking a major risk by calling snap elections. And while he managed to remain in power in 2023 despite losing the election, such an outcome now appears extremely unlikely.

In Spain, opinion polls point to a very likely and convincing victory for the right: the opposition People’s Party (PP) and Vox could together win more than 50% of the vote.

And although Vox publicly avoids statements supporting Russia, there is a risk that, if the party joins a governing coalition, it could oppose providing assistance to Ukraine, as its far-right allies across Europe have done.

On the other hand, if Vox comes to power, it would likely play the role of junior partner in a coalition with the PP. This would mean it is unlikely to receive key ministries such as Foreign Affairs or Defence and the far-right would therefore be less likely to prevent the PP from pursuing policies in support of Ukraine.