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Spain Calls Snap Election Following Weeks of Housing Crisis Protests
Pedro Sanchez has called a snap general election for 29 November after parliament rejected his government's housing relief measures, triggering mass protests across Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap general election for 29 November, following parliament's rejection of housing relief measures put forward by his minority government.
The parliamentary defeat on Friday was the latest in a string of political setbacks for the centre-left leader. It was followed swiftly by mass demonstrations across the country, with the Spanish government reporting that over 70,000 protesters took to the streets of Madrid on Saturday alone.
Tensions over housing had been building for weeks, brought into sharp focus by the eviction of Marai del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman removed from her Madrid home of 70 years after an international investment fund purchased her building and raised the rent.
Sanchez now faces a national vote with public anger over housing costs running high and his government's authority weakened in parliament.
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