Spain Protests Erupt as Parliament Set to Reject Emergency Housing Decrees

Spain’s government faced a major parliamentary setback on Friday as lawmakers prepared to vote down two emergency housing decrees aimed at tackling soaring rents and the country’s growing affordability crisis.

Outside Parliament, protesters marched for stronger protections for tenants. The Catalan separatist party Junts, whose backing was needed to pass the measures, announced that it would oppose both decrees. With the centre-right Popular Party and far-right Vox also voting against them, the government appeared set to lose the votes.

The expected defeat prompted speculation in Spanish media that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could call an early election, ahead of elections due next year. Sánchez made no comment as he arrived at Parliament in central Madrid, while his office did not immediately respond to questions about a possible snap poll.

The parliamentary showdown comes amid mounting public anger over housing costs. Protests intensified after the televised eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home last week. The incident triggered demonstrations and a camp-in at one of the capital’s main squares, turning Abascal into a symbol of Spain’s housing crisis.

Outside Parliament, demonstrators carried handmade posters depicting vultures, blaming property speculators for pushing up housing costs.

“The right-wing parties have united to vote against the interests of the majority of people who are here, of the workers of Spain,” said Carla Cremonte, a 34-year-old office worker.

“I don’t know what might happen, whether elections will be called, but in the streets, we will continue fighting and the atmosphere is one of a general strike,” she added.

RENTS NEARLY DOUBLE

Spain’s average rent has almost doubled over the past decade, according to real estate website Idealista. The average price per square metre rose from €8.20 in 2016 to €15.10 this year.

The eviction of Abascal became a rallying point for campaigners. Under mounting public and political pressure, the company that evicted her agreed this week to let her return to the apartment.

Abascal was taken to hospital after being removed from her home on a stretcher. Her lawyer said she was happy after learning that she would be able to return.

WHAT THE GOVERNMENT PROPOSED

The first decree sought to strengthen protections for vulnerable tenants, make property speculation more difficult, tighten restrictions on short-term rentals and offer tax incentives for landlords and developers to increase the supply of rental housing.

The second, more controversial measure proposed automatic renewal of rental contracts when they expire, effectively making them indefinite. Landlords seeking to terminate such agreements would have had to pay tenants compensation equivalent to 12 months’ rent.

JUNTS DEAL COLLAPSES

Junts has been an important parliamentary ally of Sánchez since he formed his government in 2023, but its support has frequently come with conditions.

Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez made a final appeal to the party in Parliament, saying the government had accepted “90 percent of your proposals” and urging Junts to back the measures or at least abstain.

Junts lawmaker Míriam Nogueras rejected the appeal, arguing that the decrees could prompt landlords to withdraw properties from the rental market and push rents higher.

“These decrees still allow speculators to buy property and to evict people,” Nogueras said.

Junts called for further negotiations and amendments, but the government refused, leaving the housing package facing rejection as protests continued outside Parliament.