Spanish parliament rejects emergency measures as housing protests continue

Spain’s parliament has rejected two emergency government decrees intended to address rising housing costs, as protests continued across the country. The first measure, which would have restricted evictions of vulnerable people, made property speculation more difficult and offered tax incentives for renting, failed by 178 votes to 172. A second decree seeking to make residential leases automatically renewable for tenants was defeated by 184 votes to 166.

Junts, a Catalan party that sometimes supports Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority government, voted with the opposition. Hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament in Madrid during the debate. Demonstrators shouted that political leaders should be ashamed and accused them of prioritising profits over people’s living conditions.

The protests began after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid apartment. The investment company that owned the building reversed the eviction, but the case became a symbol of wider concerns over housing affordability. Rents in Spain have roughly doubled over the past decade, according to the supplied material.

Many young people remain living with their parents beyond the age of 30 amid difficult labour-market conditions. The Tenants’ Union said it would continue its campaign and expand an encampment in Madrid to other neighbourhoods. Spokesperson Alicia del Rio said the group was seeking a general strike.

Sanchez urged lawmakers to approve the measures before the votes, warning that history would judge them. His government relies on opposition support to pass legislation and has so far ruled out an early election. The prime minister could attempt to introduce new emergency decrees, but they would face the same parliamentary arithmetic.

Opponents argued that the rejected measures could worsen the problem by reducing the supply of housing. The failed votes leave the government under pressure from tenants’ groups while protests are expected to continue.