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Back|Protests erupt across Spain following rejection of emergency housing legislation
Protests erupt across Spain following rejection of emergency housing legislation
Developing
BBC World·4 hours ago·Politics·3 min read

Protests erupt across Spain following rejection of emergency housing legislation

Demonstrations in Madrid, Valencia, and Barcelona demand rent controls and an end to evictions after parliament blocks government decrees.

Quick Look

  • Protests are occurring in over 50 Spanish cities following the parliamentary defeat of emergency housing decrees.
  • Demonstrators demand rent caps and eviction bans after the minority government failed to secure enough votes to pass legislation aimed at the housing crisis.

AI-generated summary

Why It Matters

The government proposed emergency housing decrees following public outcry over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman. The minority coalition failed to secure parliamentary support due to opposition from conservative and regional parties.

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Protests are taking place across Spain calling for greater protections for tenants after the government failed to get emergency housing legislation through parliament on Friday.

About 50 planned marches were expected to take place in cities such as Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona on Saturday - with some already under way.

"There is a lot of anger in the streets," said a spokesperson for the Valencia Tenants' Union, where a demonstration has already started.

The measures put forward by Pedro Sánchez's leftist coalition government on Friday followed public outcry over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home last month after she was unable to afford a sharp rent increase.

Her eviction triggered nationwide protests across Spain with protesters demanding lower rents, an end to evictions, and a ban on investment funds - or "vulture funds" as the government has termed them - buying property.

Sanchez's defeat in congress on Friday heightens speculation that he might call an early general election, which was not due until next summer.

His coalition government, made up of his ruling Socialist party and junior partner the Sumar alliance, does not command a majority in parliament.

The biggest demonstration in Spain on Saturday is set to take place in the capital Madrid. Demonstrators have been camping in one of the city's main squares, Puerta del Sol, for days.

One protester, David, told Spanish public broadcaster RTVE: "We're not here for pleasure or comfort. We're here out of conviction."

On Friday night, the Madrid's Tenants' Union said that although the government's proposed measures were insufficient, the rejection of the proposed legislation "exacerbates the housing crisis which is costing the working class their lives".

It is calling for a general strike over the housing crisis.

The legislation put forward in Congress on Friday was divided into two separate decrees.

The first decree included the suspension of evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year extension to rental leases due to expire before 2028, tax increases for tourist apartments, and a restriction on the purchase of residential properties by so-called "vulture funds".

The second decree included the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a major demand of many on the left and the Tenant's Union.

MPs rejected the first decree by 178 votes to 172 and voted against the second by 184 to 166.

Prior to the vote, the conservative People's Party (PP) and far-right Vox had already said they would vote against both initiatives, leaving the minority government depending on the support of smaller nationalist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country.

However, by the eve of the parliamentary session, the centre-right, pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) had signalled its opposition to both laws, condemning them to failure.

Sánchez's ruling coalition hurriedly drew up the decree laws in an effort to defuse the housing protests that were sparked when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted in September.

The social backlash led to the company that owns Abascal's flat, Urbagestión, negotiating her return to the flat on a low rent. However, protests have continued.

What to Watch

AI outlook — possibilities, not facts

  • Potential for early general election call by Prime Minister Sánchez.

    Possible · Within months

Open Questions

  • ?Will Prime Minister Sánchez call for an early general election?
  • ?What is the next step for the Tenants' Union regarding a general strike?

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This article was originally published by BBC World.

Quick Look

  • Protests are occurring in over 50 Spanish cities following the parliamentary defeat of emergency housing decrees.
  • Demonstrators demand rent caps and eviction bans after the minority government failed to secure enough votes to pass legislation aimed at the housing crisis.

AI-generated summary

Story signals

News tone
Negative
Emotional intensity
High
News value
High
Global impact
National
Urgency
Developing
Follow-up likelihood
Certain
Relevance window
Days

Source & Reliability

Source
BBC World
Story type
Hard news
Source quality
Full
Published
4 hours ago
spain
housing crisis
protests
spain
Pedro Sánchez
Maricarmen Abascal
David
Socialist Party
Sumar
People's Party
Vox
Madrid
Valencia
Barcelona
Puerta del Sol
housing crisis
protests
pedro sánchez
tenants' union
evictions

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