Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday that parliament would be dissolved and a snap election held on 29 November, after MPs rejected measures proposed by his government to address the housing crisis, one of Spaniards’ main concerns.
Sánchez calls for a broader progressive majority
To carry out the deep pending reforms we need, we must mobilise our energies and secure a much larger progressive majority, enabling us to bring the elites to heel, secure new social gains and continue changing Spain
The prime minister urged voters to determine the direction they want the country to take in the coming period, saying: “You must decide the role you want Spain to play amid these circumstances. Do you want that far-right wave pushing us backwards, or do you want to continue moving forward?”
Housing protests accelerate call for election
The snap election announcement came two days after tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in Madrid and other Spanish cities on Saturday, demanding affordable housing amid continually rising housing costs. Press reports said Sánchez spent the weekend considering his options after parliament voted down two government housing decrees.
The rejection of the two measures angered protesters calling for lower housing costs and a wider range of affordable options. The parliamentary vote also highlighted the difficulties facing Sánchez’s coalition government in passing legislation because it lacks a parliamentary majority.
Housing has topped Spaniards’ concerns for years, with supply insufficient to meet demand and rents and house prices rising. Similar pressures are also being felt in other parts of the European Union.
