Spain returns to the polls on November 29 after Pedro Sánchez dissolves parliament

Spain will return to the polls on November 29. Much criticized politically, Pedro Sánchez decided to play his best. The socialist Prime Minister announced on Monday the dissolution of parliament and the calling of early legislative elections.

Between the housing crisis, the migration crisis and even a series of corruption scandals, 20 Minutes takes stock of the issues at stake in this election where the head of government is putting his mandate back on the line.

The housing crisis

The 54-year-old socialist leader announced the dissolution following the rejection on Friday by deputies of a package of measures intended to stem the housing crisis. These decrees were the government's response to the wave of protests triggered by the expulsion of Maricarmen Abascal, an octogenarian forced to leave the Madrid apartment where she had lived for seventy years. The demonstrations notably led to the installation of a makeshift camp in the heart of Madrid, as well as mobilizations in several cities across the country.

Spain is facing a sharp rise in rents and property prices. According to social organizations, this phenomenon is explained in particular by the lack of affordable housing, the boom in tourist rentals and the activity of large real estate investors. The average salary in Spain is around 2,110 euros gross per month, while the average rental price per square meter reached 15.1 euros in August.

Pedro Sánchez seeks to capitalize on the discontent caused by this crisis. Announcing the elections, he asked Spaniards to grant him a new mandate to “solve” problems such as “access to housing”.

Ceuta’s migration crisis

Since the massive arrival of migrants from Morocco at the end of July, hundreds of people are still living in makeshift camps in Ceuta, fueling tensions in this Spanish enclave in North Africa of around 80,000 inhabitants. The migration crisis should therefore shake up the campaign.

Pedro Sánchez, who maintains an opening speech on immigration against the tide of several European countries, has suffered numerous criticisms of his management of this crisis.

The weight of the extreme right

Polls place the People's Party (PP, right), the main opposition force, ahead of the Socialists, but without an absolute majority. This scenario could make the far-right Vox party, the third political force and making progress in opinion polls, the arbiter of the governability of the future Parliament.

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, says he wants to “govern alone”, while ensuring that he does not intend to “demonize” Vox, thus leaving open the possibility of negotiations with this formation, with which the PP is already allied in several regions.

Court cases

The main source of political attrition for Pedro Sánchez comes from the courts, with a series of corruption scandals affecting his close entourage, notably his wife, who is soon to be tried.

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Added to this is the indictment of the former president of the government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, one of the most influential figures of Spanish socialism and political ally of Sánchez. The most serious threat to Sánchez would be that the PSOE itself is indicted before the vote.