Spain Parliament Rejects Emergency Housing Measures
The legislative defeat leaves the minority government without key tenant protections as nationwide anger mounts over rising living costs.
Spain's parliament on Friday voted down two emergency decrees designed to protect renters and lower residential costs. The decision delivered a legislative setback to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's minority coalition following hours of debate in Madrid.
Lawmakers from the Catalan separatist party Junts joined the conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox party to reject both decrees. Junts lawmakers said the proposals would reduce property supply and harm smaller property owners. The government needed Junts to secure a working majority in the 350-member chamber.
The rejected measures included a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants through 2030, stricter limits on short-term rentals and a two-year extension of rent freezes on existing leases. A second decree proposed making residential leases automatically renewable for tenants.
Outside the parliament building, crowds of protesters gathered to denounce the vote. Demonstrators in the public gallery also shouted protests toward lawmakers as the results were announced.
Public unrest erupted after the televised eviction of 87-year-old pensioner Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid on Sept. 23. An investment firm took over her building and sought a rent increase before removing her on a stretcher. The company later reversed course following public outrage and agreed to let her return.
Activists set up tents in central Madrid and other cities after the eviction. Protesters pointed to figures showing average rents in Spain have nearly doubled over the past decade, leaving many younger people unable to afford independent homes.
Sanchez urged members during the debate to support the measures to rein in market excess. Media reports in Madrid indicated the prime minister could consider calling early elections if the impasse persists, though his office declined to comment on those reports.
The Tenants Union said activists will maintain the central Madrid encampment and hold more demonstrations across Spain on Saturday, with organizers calling for a general strike.
