Overview
- The televised eviction of 87‑year‑old Maricarmen Abascal on Sept. 23 triggered nationwide protests and led to tent encampments in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Barcelona’s Plaza Catalunya.
- The government fast‑tracked two emergency decrees that sought to curb evictions of vulnerable tenants, limit short‑term lets, target investor 'vulture funds' and allow automatic renewal of leases.
- Catalan kingmaker Junts withdrew its backing and the lower house voted down both decrees with the first failing 178‑172 and the second 184‑166, ending immediate parliamentary relief for protesters.
- Protesters and the Tenants’ Union have vowed to continue demonstrations and called for a general strike while hundreds remain in central squares and fresh protests are planned across cities.
- The defeat heightens political instability for Sánchez’s minority coalition and underscores deeper structural problems in Spain’s housing market, including near‑doubling rents over a decade and a low share of public rental housing.