Overview
- Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday that he has dissolved the Cortes and called a snap legislative election for 29 November after Congress rejected his government’s housing decrees on Friday.
- The decision follows nationwide protests sparked by the high‑profile eviction of 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal; thousands have demonstrated and hundreds continue to camp in Puerta del Sol to demand affordable housing.
- Sánchez’s government has been weakened by corruption allegations involving people close to him and criticism over his handling of the Ceuta migrant surge, factors that helped leave his coalition unable to pass key laws.
- Opinion polls place the conservative People's Party ahead of the Socialists but short of an absolute majority, making a post‑election pact with the far‑right Vox a plausible path to power if poll trends hold.
- After the 29 November vote the king will consult party leaders and propose a candidate for investiture, so the final government will depend on post‑election coalition arithmetic and will shape whether Spain pursues the housing reforms protesters demand or shifts to right‑wing policies.