Spain’s Congress rejects emergency housing decrees

Spain’s Congress of Deputies has voted down two emergency housing decrees, handing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a defeat on the country’s worsening housing crisis.
The conservative People’s Party, far-right Vox and Junts voted against the measures, which included a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030 and rules on temporary lettings. Sanchez’s minority coalition could not muster the votes.
The vote followed the September 23 eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid apartment, which was captured on camera and sparked protests across Spain. Demonstrators outside parliament chanted “Your profits, our misery,” blaming investment funds for rising rents.
Sanchez told a Socialist rally the government was working on a Royal Decree on housing and asked parliamentary groups to validate it “for Maricarmen.” Abascal has blamed the government for her ordeal.
The defeat highlights Sanchez’s weak parliamentary arithmetic and has fuelled speculation about early elections.
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