Sánchez evaluates bringing forward the elections after the defeat in Congress on housing

The defeat that the Government suffered yesterday in Congress is nothing more. It is the confirmation that the block that supported the investiture is cracked. That the defeat is on an issue as important as housing only further enhances the political crisis suffered by the Executive. And, therefore, it is logical that Pedro Sánchez opens the melon of the electoral advance, as we advanced yesterday. We are facing an ethical question about the legitimacy of continuing to govern.

Then there is a second derivative, which is pure electoral interest. The PSOE may be tempted to ride the populist wave of the housing crisis and turn the elections into a plebiscite between a right that will be accused of being aligned with vulture funds and a left that defends the interests of ordinary citizens. Some major error by the PP, such as the terrible management of the Madrid president Isabel Díaz Ayuso's penthouse, gives wings to this strategy. But it remains to be seen if the socialists can impose their story.

And you have to know how to correctly interpret the messages that citizens send. Today there is a palpable discomfort in broad layers of the middle class due to economic issues. Inequalities are growing, salaries are not increasing at the rate of inflation and the result of all this is that there are many people condemned to not being able to own a home. The case of Maricarmen Abascal has been the last straw.

Sánchez does not seem to have a clear decision on the final decision. His roadmap did not involve bringing forward the elections to this year, but he has always known how to react when a window of opportunity is close to him. And now this situation occurs. One of the keys that will influence your decision is the street thermometer. If the protests and rallies in the coming days have a broad citizen response, Sánchez will have found an argument to advance the electoral call. The other option is to wait and wait for a second window of opportunity to appear along the way. But, in the meantime, the wear and tear will increase. For this reason, no one yesterday denied the possible electoral advance, even though it is a very risky undertaking.