Europe · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Spanish Parliament Rejects Two Emergency Housing Decree-Laws, Defeating Pedro Sánchez
Parliament rejected both emergency housing decrees, margins 178-172 and 184-166. Defeats pressure Sánchez and fuel speculation of snap elections.
13 outlets told this the same way.
7 of 8 outlets skipped it: abascal negotiated an eight-year tenancy with limited rent..
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Spain votes down decrees
Spanish lawmakers rejected two decree-laws aimed at tackling Spain’s housing crisis, dealing a defeat to the government of Pedro Sánchez and increasing pressure on him to call a snap election. Congress rejected the first decree by 178 votes to 172 and rejected the second by 184 to 166, as hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside Congress during the debate. Protesters chanted "shame on you" and "your profits, our misery" after the results were announced, and the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her home in central Madrid helped trigger the nationwide protests.
Sánchez told lawmakers, "I don't ask you, I beg you to be brave and consistent," moments before the two votes took place, and he added, "Because they are not just ambitious measures, they are necessary". The BBC reported that the government’s defeat increased speculation that Sánchez might call an early general election, which was not due until next summer.
Protests, chants, and votes
Protesters said they would return to the streets across Spain and press on with their encampment in central Madrid after parliament on Friday rejected the government’s attempt to answer complaints about a mounting housing crisis. Crowds gathered outside the assembly chanted "your profits, our misery" as lawmakers voted down the minority government’s decree drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman. Tenants’ Union spokesperson Alicia del Rio said, "We're aiming for a general strike," after the decrees were struck down, and she said the encampment would continue and expand to other neighbourhoods.
Junts joined the opposition in voting down the decrees, and Reuters reported that the Tenants' Union had driven the protests and would press on with plans for more mass rallies for Saturday. Sánchez spoke at the end of a five-hour parliamentary debate and told the other 349 members, "Do the right thing, or history will judge you, and sooner than you think," before each lawmaker voted by roll call.
What comes next in Spain
Spain’s housing crisis protests centered on the televised eviction of Maricarmen Abascal from her home in Madrid, and the eviction sparked protests and a camp-in that occupied Madrid’s most important square. The government decrees were intended to stop evictions of vulnerable people until 2030 and impose a two-year rent freeze extension for existing leases, but Reuters reported that the measures failed after lawmakers from Junts joined the opposition. Reuters said a second decree proposing automatic and indefinite renewal of rental contracts also failed, and the Tenants' Union said it would press on with plans for more mass rallies for Saturday.
The Irish News said the main protest group, the renters association Sindicato de Inquilinas, was calling for more protests on Saturday and pushing for a general strike, as protesters jeered the votes and people in the public tribune shouted "Vulture funds govern the congress". The BBC reported that Urbagestión negotiated the return of Abascal to her flat on a low rent, while protests continued with people occupying squares in Madrid and other cities and pitching tents in squares.