Spain Plans New Housing Protests as Congress Rejects Tenant Protections

Fresh protests over housing policy are expected in Madrid and more than 50 other Spanish cities on Saturday, one day after parliament rejected two government decrees designed to strengthen protections for tenants.

The proposals were introduced following nationwide anger triggered by the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who had lived for roughly seven decades in a Madrid apartment. Her removal, carried out on a stretcher, became a widely shared symbol of the country’s growing housing crisis.

The rejection of the measures marked another political setback for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and renewed questions about the stability of his minority government ahead of the next general election in 2027. The defeat came after Junts, a Catalan separatist party whose support was essential to pass the decrees, voted against them, saying the proposals lacked sufficient rigour.

Following the vote, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the main opposition Conservative Party, urged Sánchez to “call elections as soon as possible,” claiming that the prime minister no longer had the backing of “the streets or parliament” after eight years in power.

Recent opinion polls have generally placed the Popular Party ahead of the Socialists. The Tenants’ Union, which is coordinating the new demonstrations, said the planned marches reflect “an irreparable disconnect” between public demand and parliamentary action.

In Madrid, activists have been camped in Puerta del Sol for about a week. Demonstrators are expected to set off from several locations around noon before converging on Plaza de Cibeles in central Madrid.

The defeated package included the automatic renewal of rental contracts when they expire, along with measures aimed at restricting evictions of vulnerable tenants. It also targeted so-called vulture funds, or investment firms that buy properties at low prices in pursuit of higher returns.

Housing affordability has long been a major concern in Spain, with supply lagging behind demand as rents and prices continue to climb across the European Union. According to the real estate portal Idealista, average rents in Spain have nearly doubled over the past decade, while asking prices for homes have risen by around 90 percent.

Abascal’s eviction intensified long-standing frustration over soaring housing costs. She was forced to leave her apartment after it was acquired by an investment company that sought to increase her rent by 275 percent, according to housing campaigners. The resulting backlash later led the property’s new owners to agree to let her return at a reduced rent.

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