From POLITICO · · 1m 40s
Spain's housing crisis sparks mass protests as Sánchez eyes snap vote
Hundreds of thousands took to Spanish streets over soaring rents as the Prime Minister considers calling an early election.
In brief
Hundreds of thousands took to Spanish streets over soaring rents as the Prime Minister considers calling an early election. Mass housing protests swept Spain on Saturday as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez weighed calling a snap election, with demonstrators demanding action on rents that have risen nearly ninety percent…
Hundreds of thousands march on housing
Massive protests swept Spanish cities on Saturday. The Spanish Tenants Union said five hundred thousand people took to the streets in Madrid, though the government estimated seventy thousand.
Rents have soared in a decade
Spanish Tenants Union spokesperson Valeria Racu said the turnout reflected public exasperation with political leaders who have failed to tackle a housing crisis in which average rents have risen nearly ninety percent over the past decade.
An eviction sparked the uprising
The protests were triggered after an investment firm evicted eighty-seven-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the apartment where she had lived since nineteen fifty-six.
Government bills blocked by conservatives
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's government unveiled two bills on Tuesday aimed at curbing speculation and protecting vulnerable tenants. Conservative lawmakers in parliament rejected both bills on Friday.
Sánchez weighs calling snap election
Amid the defeat, senior government figures indicated Sánchez was considering calling a snap election to capitalize on anger over housing. He faced pressure over migrant crisis and corruption cases involving family and allies.
Left scrambles to regroup for election
The prospect of an imminent election is prompting Spain's fractured left to scramble to regroup. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz is declining to run for reelection, with Health Minister Mónica García and Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun seen as frontrunners to lead Sumar.
The bottom line
Mass housing protests swept Spain on Saturday as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez weighed calling a snap election, with demonstrators demanding action on rents that have risen nearly ninety percent over the past decade.
