Spain leader calls snap election
A snap election will occur on 29 November, in Spain after housing decrees were rejected.
Photo by Sergio Guardiola Herrador on Unsplash
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez announced a snap election on the 29 November.
According to Deutsche Welle, 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her apartment in Madrid on 23 September, because she could not afford the rent, which was increased by 275%.
She said:
“I lived here for 71 years, and I don’t want to leave.”
Protests erupted following the eviction, in major cities such as Valencia, Madrid, and Barcelona. Figures have suggested that tens of thousands have taken part in demonstrations.
The coalition between the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (SSWP) and the Sumar Party then advanced two decrees aimed at improving access to housing, and automatically renewing contracts.
As reported by Aljazeera, The Vox party and the conservative People’s Party have voted against the decrees, as they believed building houses is a better solution. The Junts party defended the landlord’s interests and followed. Therefore, the decrees failed to pass.
According to Politico’s poll, the People’s Party is leading with 33% (136 seats), followed by SSWP’s 26% (104 seats) and 18% of the Vox party (65 seats). This means that the majority (176 seats) will belong to the Spanish right due to the similar political stances of the Vox and the People’s Party.