CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Spain Calls Early General Elections Amid Deepening National Housing Crisis
Madrid. Amid a worsening housing crisis and political deadlock in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced early general elections. The elections will be held on 29 November 2026, around eight months ahead of schedule. The announcement came days after the government’s emergency housing proposals were rejected in parliament.
Protests over Spain’s housing crisis have been taking place for several weeks. The issue drew wider attention when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her home in Madrid, where she had lived for nearly 70 years. After ownership of the house changed, the rent rose sharply, and she was unable to afford it on her pension. In September, she was removed from the home in the presence of police. Sánchez’s coalition government had proposed measures to address the housing crisis, including a ban on evictions, extensions to rental agreements and restrictions on companies buying homes for speculation. However, on 2 October, the government suffered a defeat in parliament over these proposals.
House prices and rents in Spain continue to rise. In the second quarter of 2026, house prices recorded an annual increase of 12.2 percent, while the average advertised rent in August also rose compared with last year. The rising cost of housing has now become one of the country’s major political and social concerns. Prime Minister Sánchez has said the upcoming election will give the public an opportunity to decide the country’s future direction. Opposition parties, meanwhile, have welcomed the election announcement. The housing crisis, rents and government policies are now likely to remain key issues in the election debate.
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