Spain's prime minister begins the election campaign after calling an early election

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised on Saturday that he would strengthen housing legislation if the Socialist Party secured an absolute majority in the snap legislative elections on November 29. The announcement was made in Andalusia, at his first campaign rally, against the backdrop of the widespread mobilizations sparked by Spain’s housing crisis.

Sánchez said that a future parliament with a broad progressive majority would maintain and reinforce the laws protecting small property owners and tenants from real estate speculation. The statement came three days after the death of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old pensioner whose eviction from her home in Madrid triggered nationwide protests and outrage.

Last week, parliament rejected two legislative bills presented by the left-wing government as solutions to the housing crisis. Following this vote, Sánchez called snap elections. The prime minister, who has been in power since 2018 and lacks a parliamentary majority, hopes that the bills, possibly amended, will be adopted through a special procedure.

People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo organized a rally in Madrid attended by approximately 2,000 people and promised “order, security and prosperity.” Alongside former prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and José María Aznar, he criticized Sánchez, including over his handling of migration and the crisis in Ceuta.

Read also Kelemen Hunor: “Snap elections will not change anything for the better. And now, based on today’s figures, we know that it will be the same Parliament, except that AUR will win around 38–40%”