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Snap election follows parliamentary defeat

Spain’s decision to hold a snap election came immediately after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez failed to push his government’s housing package through parliament. The election, scheduled for November 29, made it clear that the left-wing coalition can no longer command a majority in the chamber.

The measures proposed by the government were meant to improve conditions for tenants as rents continue to rise sharply. But the package was narrowly defeated by opposition votes from the right, a result that effectively derailed Sánchez’s plan to stay in office until next summer.

What was in the rejected housing package?

The housing package aimed to reduce the risk of eviction for tenants and strengthen the terms of rental contracts. It also included steps designed to limit pressure from investors buying homes.

  • Measures making it harder to evict tenants
  • Improvements to rental contracts in favor of tenants
  • Rules aimed at curbing property purchases for investment purposes

Sánchez is preparing to place this issue at the center of the campaign. Conservative People's Party (PP) and the far-right Vox both voted against the government’s measures.

Pressure on the government has grown in recent months

The Socialist Party has also been under pressure over recent corruption allegations. In addition to cases involving former senior figures Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos, former Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has faced accusations that he financially benefited from public support granted to an airline; Zapatero has denied the claims.

Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, is also awaiting legal proceedings over allegations of misuse of public resources and influence peddling. Both Gómez and Sánchez strongly deny the accusations.

Another difficult issue for the government has been Ceuta, the Spanish territory in North Africa. More than 70,000 migrants suddenly arrived in the city in July, creating a political and logistical crisis for Madrid, even though most were later returned to the Moroccan border.

Housing could define the campaign

Polls show that the housing crisis is one of the top concerns for voters in Spain. Sánchez is now hoping to shift the debate away from Ceuta and the corruption allegations and back toward rents and housing in an effort to bring left-leaning voters to the polls.

Speaking to supporters in parliament, Sánchez called for a larger progressive majority. Even so, opinion polls still put the Socialists behind the PP, suggesting that holding on to power after the vote could become one of the toughest tests of the prime minister’s career.

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