Spain’s parliament voted down two emergency decrees intended to address the country’s housing crisis on Friday, with conservative and far-right parties joining to block the Socialist-led government’s proposals. The decrees included measures such as a ban on evictions through 2030 and new regulations on temporary rentals. The People’s Party argued that construction rather than regulation offered the more effective path to affordability, while the far-right Vox party and Catalan pro-independence Junts also opposed the measures.
The parliamentary rejection occurred as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Madrid parliament building, chanting slogans and holding signs depicting vultures. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had appealed to lawmakers to support the measures, framing the vote as a choice between siding with ordinary people or with financial speculators. Polls indicated approximately two-thirds of Spanish citizens supported government intervention to regulate housing prices.
The housing crisis has intensified nationwide, with rents rising 80 percent over the past decade and home prices climbing 63 percent. The median rent now stands at €1,176 monthly, equivalent to roughly 99 percent of average earnings for people under 30. Public anger over these conditions crystallized after an 87-year-old woman faced eviction following a 230 percent rent increase imposed by an investment fund.
The rejection of the decrees energized the protest movement, which has established encampments in multiple Spanish cities. A camp in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol plaza grew to more than 1,200 tents within a week. Housing advocacy groups vowed to continue mobilizing, with the Confederation of Tenants’ Unions calling for expanded demonstrations and raising the possibility of organizing a general strike.
Reports indicated the Socialist government was considering whether to hold elections earlier than scheduled, potentially moving the vote forward to November from 2027. The housing crisis has dominated recent political discourse in Spain, shifting focus from other national concerns.
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