Spain's Sánchez Calls Snap Election Amid Protests Over Housing Crisis
The Facts
- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday called a snap election for Nov. 29 after lawmakers rejected two bills aimed at quelling pressure on the country's housing market late last week.
- Longstanding tensions over the issue have persisted for months and erupted into protests last month when the 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal was evicted from her Madrid apartment, after having lived there for seven decades.
- A deal was reached to allow Abascal to return, but fresh fury and protests were sparked after Spain's Congress voted against the two bills proposed by Sánchez's coalition government on Friday.
Sources Split
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The Spin
Left narrative
This government has delivered the highest rates of economic growth that Spain has ever seen. However, it has been blocked from making a number of necessary reforms, including on housing, by elites and conservatives who are happy to maintain the status quo. A broader progressive coalition would allow the government to make the necessary changes.
Right narrative
Spain's current government has brought nothing but corruption, unbearable living costs and this housing crisis, among other issues such as uncontrolled immigration. Spain needs to be ruled by a party that's prepared to make the necessary changes for the country to restore its national pride, not just hang onto survivability. Sánchez has already had eight years in power — if that hasn't been enough, why should he get four more?
