The Prime Minister of Spain announced early elections due to mass housing protests in the country

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that the country will hold early elections. This was the result of mass protests over the country's housing crisis, which broke out after an 87-year-old woman was evicted from a rented apartment that she could no longer pay due to increased rent.

Early elections will be held on November 29, the prime minister announced. Previously, they were scheduled for the summer of 2027.

Sanchez made a televised address from the Moncloa Palace, his official residence in Madrid.

He said that in recent years, "Spain has become an example of peace, feminism and prosperity to the world" and his government has ensured economic growth - despite attempts to "boycott" his achievements. He acknowledged that the government had "made mistakes and failed to do what it set out to do" and needed to "increase public support to bring about the necessary reforms so that citizens can reduce existing levels of inequality."

“The time has come for the Spanish people to decide what kind of future they want for themselves and their country,” Sanchez said.

Days earlier, Sánchez's government had failed to secure parliamentary support for the passage of two royal housing laws aimed at easing growing public discontent with Spain's housing crisis.

The decrees, in particular, provided for a ban on evictions until 2030. The government explained its decision by the desire to protect tenants, as well as to limit the activities of investment funds that buy housing - government members call them “vulture funds.”

However, Sanchez's government does not have a majority in parliament, which did not approve emergency decrees on Friday. Oppositionists from right-wing parties said that this is an attack on the rights of homeowners, primarily ordinary citizens renting out their apartments.

According to Bank of Spain estimates, the country lacks about 700 thousand apartments and houses. Last year, home prices rose 12.2%. In Barcelona and Madrid, renting a house costs on average about 23-24 euros per square meter.

The protests began after the high-profile eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the rented apartment in which she had lived for more than 70 years. For a long time, she paid 500 euros for rent, which is less than the market price. In 2018, her property was acquired by the investment company Urbagestión, which increased the rent several times. The amount was unaffordable for the pensioner. The company made three attempts to evict Maricarmen from her home, but all of them were blocked by the courts. The fourth time, the woman was taken out of the house on a stretcher, after which she was taken to the hospital.

The story sparked outrage and protests across Spain. Protesters have been setting up a tent camp in the central Puerta del Sol square in Madrid for several days.

On Saturday, thousands of people demonstrated in dozens of cities in Spain demanding protection for renters. In Valencia, clashes occurred between demonstrators and police. One of the largest demonstrations took place in the capital of Spain. Its organizer, the Tenants' Union, said that 500 thousand people took to the streets of Madrid. According to government estimates, there were about 70 thousand.

The Madrid Tenants' Union called for a general strike.

Later, Abascal's lawyer Beatriz Duro reported that it was possible to agree with the company that owns the property to return the woman home. According to her, under the new agreement, Abascal will pay approximately the same as she paid before the rent increase. Nevertheless, the protests continued.

Sánchez belongs to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party and has served as Prime Minister since June 2018. In the previous elections, held in 2023, the Socialist Party came second, while the conservative People's Party won the most seats. However, Sánchez retained power by making agreements with left-wing parties and gaining support from the Catalan and Basque nationalist movements, as well as groups advocating independence for these regions.

Sanchez's announcement prompted jubilation from both the left and the right.

The People's Party posted a video on social media of people laughing and celebrating and wrote, "Finally!"

“Sanchez or Spain,” wrote Pepa de Millan, a spokeswoman for the right-wing party Vox.

Representatives of the Sumar coalition - four left-wing parties further left than Sánchez's socialists - wrote in Bluesky: "We are ready and there are more of us."