Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez calls snap election for November 29

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap election for Nov. 29, a vote that could signal the demise of the EU’s last major Socialist government and remove one of Europe’s chief critics of U.S. President Donald Trump from the political front line.

Already weakened by the corruption cases battering his Socialist Party, Sánchez took a further knock this summer when he faced fierce blowback over his handling of the ongoing migrant crisis in the North African exclave of Ceuta.

But the bitter topic of unaffordable housing — something that tops the list of voters’ concerns in Spain and which has sparked nationwide protests — has finally prompted Sánchez to call an early election in an apparent bid to seize a campaign battleground he believes could work to his advantage.

Lawmakers on Friday rejected two bills intended to address a housing crisis that has ignited major protests across the country since last week over the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the Madrid apartment where she had lived since 1956.

Although Sánchez has established a reputation as a master of the political bounce-back, he faces a steep climb to turn this latest crisis to his advantage.

Polls overwhelmingly suggest that the country will vote in an administration led by the center-right People’s Party, currently supported by 34% of the electorate, compared with 26% backing the Socialist Party. The PP would likely partner with the far-right Vox party, which is projected to score 18%, according to POLITICO’s Poll of Polls.

While his popularity at home has waned, Sánchez has gained prominence on the international stage over the past year as one of the Western leaders to most forcefully condemn both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the conflicts in Gaza and Iran.