Spanish government threatens defeat over housing law

The Spanish minority government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is threatened with defeat in a key legislative proposal on the housing crisis. The Catalan Junta party, on whose votes the government relies, said it would vote against the package of measures. This provides, among other things, for a rent freeze and extended protection against dismissal.

The conservative People's Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox party also want to reject the proposals. This means that the measures are likely to fail. The impending defeat sparked speculation in the Spanish media about whether Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez might bring forward parliamentary elections scheduled for next year. Sánchez has not yet commented on this issue.