What changed
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called Spain’s general election for 29 November 2026, moving it forward from the expected latest date of summer 2027. The decision follows his minority coalition’s defeat on housing measures, including stronger tenant protections, after protests over the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal.
Abascal was removed from her Madrid home on 23 September after her rent rose from €500 to €2,650. It was later reduced to €1,650, still €300 above her monthly pension. The rejected housing package also included suspending evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, extending some leases, raising taxes on tourist apartments and restricting purchases.
Why it matters
The election turns Spain’s housing crisis into a direct test of Sánchez’s government. His Socialist party and junior coalition partner, Sumar, do not control a parliamentary majority, so measures aimed at tenants can be defeated even after public anger has pushed housing to the centre of national politics.
That makes the 29 November vote more than an early change to the political calendar. Sánchez is asking voters for what he calls a broader progressive majority, arguing that it could overcome resistance to reform. His government has also faced corruption scandals and pressure over inequality, public services, immigration and other cost-of-living issues.
The opposition People's Party is expected to emerge as the largest party in most polls, but it may need support from Vox to form a government. That leaves two questions open: whether conservatives can assemble a governing bloc, and whether any new administration would revive the housing measures that Sánchez’s coalition failed to pass.
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