Overview
- The eviction, which took place on 23 September, led to a long-running encampment at Puerta del Sol and mass protests that pushed the government to draft two emergency housing decrees.
- The decrees were rejected in Congress, a defeat that helped prompt Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap general election for 29 November.
- The Sindicato de Inquilinas reported that Maricarmen Abascal died in hospital on Wednesday after the eviction and activists and her lawyer say the eviction process visibly worsened her health.
- Protesters remain camped in central Madrid and unions UGT and CCOO have joined the tenant movement in calling a general strike for 11 November to demand stronger tenant protections and higher wages.
- Political institutions in Madrid are sharply divided: the left frames Maricarmen’s death as evidence of systemic failure by landlords and regulators while the right accuses the left of politicizing the case, a split that is shaping campaign rhetoric and contentious official responses.