Death of Evicted Madrid Pensioner Deepens Spain’s Housing Crisis Debate

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Madrid pensioner whose eviction became a national symbol of Spain’s housing crisis, has died, the Madrid Tenants’ Union said. Her death has intensified protests and a political dispute that has already contributed to an early general election. Abascal was removed from her apartment on a stretcher on September 23 after being unable to meet a sharply increased rent, according to BBC News.

The flat had been her home for more than 70 years. DW reported that she was later hospitalised after the eviction because of exhaustion. The property had initially been rented by Abascal’s father in 1956, and she remained the tenant after her parents died.

The BBC said the rent had been capped before the property was bought by Urbagestión in 2018. The company increased the monthly rent from €500 to €2,650. After the eviction, the company offered to reduce the rent to €1,650.

That figure was still €300 above Abascal’s monthly pension, the BBC reported. Although an agreement was eventually reached that could have allowed her to return, she was in hospital and unable to sign it. The tenants’ union said the solution came too late and described the process as avoidable and torturous.

The union announced Abascal’s death in a statement, saying her cause represented “a turning point in the history of this country.” Its spokesperson, Alicia del Río, said the case showed that “speculation costs lives,” according to the BBC. The union also pledged to continue the campaign for housing rights. The eviction prompted protests across Spain.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in cities over the weekend after Congress rejected emergency housing legislation intended to assist tenants. Demonstrators gathered at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, where the BBC reported that protesters had established an encampment. After Abascal’s death, people lit candles there and hundreds marched towards parliament.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez expressed condolences to Abascal’s family, saying he sent embraces to those who mourned her loss. Territorial Policy Minister Ángel Víctor Torres said she symbolised the plight of people facing the housing crisis. Opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also offered condolences and urged that the death not be used for campaigning or political exploitation.

The political consequences have been significant. Sánchez, who leads a left-wing coalition without a parliamentary majority, called an early election for November 29 after the emergency housing legislation failed in Congress. He said he needed a broader progressive majority to overcome resistance to reform.

The BBC reported that opposition parties argued intervention in the housing market could reduce the supply of rental homes and push prices higher. Spain’s UGT and CCOO trade unions have called a nationwide general strike for November 11. They are demanding better wages, decent housing and price controls in response to inflation and what they described as property speculation.

Opinion polls cited by the BBC suggest the conservatives may emerge as the largest party, though they would likely need support from the hard-right Vox party to form a government.