Politics
Spain approves housing measures and calls snap election amid eviction protests
October 7, 2026 at 01:50 PM · Updated 9d ago
4 reports · 1 in Arabic, 3 in English · over 19 hours
Spain's government has approved 21 emergency housing measures and called a snap election as protests over rents and evictions spread nationwide.
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a snap general election for November 29 after parliament rejected emergency housing legislation.
- The government approved 21 urgent measures, including a new tax on seasonal rentals, extended eviction protection and a €10 billion fund for first-time buyers.
- More than 1,200 tents filled Madrid's Puerta del Sol as protests spread after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home.
- Sánchez said the government "will not allow further evictions" like those that prompted the demonstrations.
- Spain's two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, called a general strike for November 11 over the housing crisis, ahead of the snap election.
- María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old whose eviction from her Madrid apartment sparked the housing protests, has died.




