Spanish PM calls snap election | World News

Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap election for next month.The decision comes days after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest at the country's housing crisis in the wake of the forcible eviction of an…

October 6, 2026 SphereNexus Editorial Team 4 min read

Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap election for next month.

The decision comes days after tens of thousands of people took to the streets in protest at the country’s housing crisis in the wake of the forcible eviction of an 87-year-old woman.

The vote will be held on 29 November, and Mr Sanchez, 54, made the announcement during a televised national address.

He argued that a broader progressive coalition would enable the country tackle some of its biggest challenges.

Mr Sanchez said: “The time has come, therefore, for the Spanish people to decide what future you want for yourselves and for your country.”

He also acknowledged making mistakes and failing to meet campaign promises, adding: “I also know that part of that social majority is dissatisfied today.”

Mr Sanchez’s Socialist Party is trailing in the opinion polls, so facing the electorate now could be a risky move.

A coalition led by the conservative People’s Party (PP) with the support of the far-right Vox is currently the most likely outcome in Spain, according to the polls.

This would mean a far-right party in the country’s government for the first time since the return of democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.

The recent demonstrations followed the failure of the government to pass emergency legislation to help renters.

Mr Sanchez’s proposals to tackle a mounting housing crisis were well received but were struck down by right-wing MPs on Friday.

Spanish PM hopes anger over housing crisis will fuel his party in election

It’s a move that carries some risk for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a politician who has proven time and again that he can surprise people who have written him off.

He has sought to tackle a housing crisis that has brought protesters out in force on Spanish streets, but recently lost a key vote in congress.

The demonstrations followed a high-profile incident in which an 87-year-old woman was forcibly evicted from her home in Madrid after her apartment was acquired by an investment fund that wanted to sharply increase her rent.

The case sparked a broader movement across the country calling for affordable rent prices, which have shot up in the last few years. There have been calls for a general strike.

Attempts by Sanchez’s government to ease the situation have come up against resistance in congress, with right-wing politicians striking the proposals down.

One decree had included provisions to suspend evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, increases on taxes on tourist apartments and restrictions on the purchase of homes by what the government says are “vulture funds”.

The other included the automatic renewal of rental contracts – a more controversial measure but one popular among the left.

The proposals were well received by the public, however, and it seems Sanchez is gambling that he can leverage that support to create a new coalition that will allow him the leeway he needs to get legislation through.

But it nonetheless is a risk at a time when right-wing parties seem to be surging all across Europe, with Spain’s left-leaning government one of the few in power on the continent.

In Valencia on Saturday, demonstrators clashed with police, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas.

Other protests in 50 Spanish cities were peaceful.

Maricarmen Abascal was removed from her home in Madrid last month after being given just 30 minutes to leave the property. The 87-year-old was taken to hospital on a stretcher following her eviction.

The apartment, in the capital’s affluent Retiro neighbourhood, had been acquired by an investment fund that wanted to sharply increase her rent.

UrbaGestion, the fund that owns the apartment, offered her a preliminary agreement on 28 October, that would allow her to return home if she agrees to the terms.

“She should never have been forced to leave,” her lawyer Beatriz Duro told reporters.

“I hope this case serves to provide a collective response to the housing crisis.”

Mr Sanchez has been prime minister of the country since 2018, making him one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders.

His leadership has also been rocked by a series of legal cases involving his party, as well as his brother and wife, who both deny wrongdoing.

The government has also had to respond to border crossings by tens of thousands of migrants – mostly Moroccans – into Spain’s North African territory of Ceuta.

Mr Sanchez has led a coalition minority government with the left-wing Sumar party since 2023.