Spain's Right Sinks Sánchez's Housing Decrees
Congress rejected both of the government’s emergency housing decrees, the conservative People’s Party, Vox and the Catalan pro-independence Junts voting them down. The measures would have halted evictions of vulnerable people until 2030 and made leases renew indefinitely. They were brought forward after protests over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, and needed approval to stay in force. Speculation about an early election has sharpened.
Pedro Sánchez put it as a plea rather than an argument: “I don’t ask you, I beg you to be brave and consistent.” The People’s Party answer was the orthodox one, from its lawmaker Juan Bravo: “Housing doesn’t become more affordable through decrees; it becomes more affordable by building more homes.” Because the decrees were already operative and required ratification, the votes do not block something prospective — they remove protections that existed this morning. The trigger was the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, a wheelchair user, from the Madrid flat she had lived in for seventy years, after the investment firm that bought the building raised her rent from €500 to €2,650 against a pension of €1,350. The underlying numbers explain the camp that has grown past 1,500 tents in Puerta del Sol: Spanish rents have risen some 80% in a decade. Mr Sánchez has governed without a majority for years but could not assemble one on the subject the country is protesting about. Watch whether he goes early.