Overview
- Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old Madrid tenant whose forced eviction became a symbol of the housing crisis, died at Gregorio Marañón hospital on Wednesday.
- Her eviction from a home she had occupied for about 70 years on September 23 led to mass demonstrations and the establishment of tent camps in central Madrid, notably at Puerta del Sol.
- An agreement allowing her to return to her apartment was reached after her hospitalization but arrived too late for her to be rehoused.
- Main unions UGT and CCOO have called a national strike for November 11 to press demands on housing and wages, and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has set snap general elections for November 29.
- Spain faces a shallow social housing stock, rapidly rising rents that in Madrid approached half the average gross salary in September, and a long-term shortfall in new construction that campaigners blame on investment funds and tourist conversions.