It seemed likely last week that this was going to happen. Spain's socialist government, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, had proposed and then failed to pass a couple of new laws aimed at blocking evictions and freezing rents.
The first decree included the suspension of evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year extension to rental leases due to expire before 2028, tax increases for tourist apartments, and a restriction on the purchase of residential properties by what the government calls "vulture funds".
The second decree was more controversial, because it included the automatic renewal of rental contracts, a major demand of many on the left and the Sindicato de Inquilinas.
The failure to pass the measures led to even more street protests and PM Sanchez said he and his party would take the weekend to decide whether or not to call snap elections. Today, Sanchez announced he was calling for elections which will take place at the end of November.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, perhaps Europe’s foremost critic of President Donald Trump and the continent’s most prominent left-wing leader, called for snap elections on Monday amid growing protests over high housing costs and tenants’ rights...
“To do more, we need the support of the people; we must ensure that parliament grants us a much broader progressive majority,” Sánchez said in an address to the nation, conceding that his government had made mistakes...
In his gamble, Sánchez is hoping to reshuffle a deadlocked parliament and gain a stronger hand. Yet polls largely suggest the conservative People’s Party coming in first, though without a governing majority. That would open the door to a coalition with the far-right Vox party.
Sanchez is taking a big risk here. He's betting that people are so motivated and upset about the new housing laws that they will sweep his party to victory and put him in a strong position in Parliament. In short, he's hoping to gain seats and enough power to pass his agenda. But this could backfire. He could in fact be giving conservatives a chance at gains for their party and effectively forcing him out as Prime Minister.
Here's why Sanchez is taking the risk. Over the weekend there were huge street protests in many cities.
Tens of thousands protested across Spain after parliament rejected housing measures to ban evictions, freeze rents and regulate short-term rentals https://t.co/KrqaBzLJjv https://t.co/12SfrpUbNL
— Reuters (@Reuters) October 3, 2026
If he were to ignore those protesters, who are demanding he do something about the housing issue, he would definitely lose standing inside his own party. So he's forced to gamble with elections.
Part of the risk comes from the fact that Sanchez is not very popular at the moment.
In April, his wife Begoña Gómez was charged with corruption after a two-year criminal investigation.
She is accused of using her relationship to advance her private career - allegations she denies, and which have been dismissed by Sánchez as a right-wing attempt to undermine his coalition.
In May, police raided the Socialist party's headquarters in Madrid as part of an investigation into allegations an operative was paid to carry out a misinformation campaign. The party has denied the allegations.
And in June, Sánchez's former transport minister, José Luis Ábalos, was jailed for 24 years after he was found guilty of being involved in a network that received kickbacks from the sale of face masks during the Covid-19 pandemic.
So corruption and self-dealing have driven his polling into the toilet, though he hasn't been personally found to be involved in anything illegal. On top of all that, there's another issue which is animating parties on the right. It's an issue we've covered here quite a bit: Cueta.
Back in August about 70,000 migrants crossed from Morocco into Cueta, which is geographically part of North Africa but is politically part of Spain. As many as 100 people died swimming around barriers and, while most of them returned home, many did not. Sanchez' government would later issue an apology for his handling of the issue.
The Spanish government has apologised to the people of Ceuta for the migrant crisis that has affected the city for weeks and it has unveiled plans to overhaul the country's immigration laws.
"I want to apologise to all those who may have felt, or who even still feel, abandoned or not sufficiently cared for," Defence Minister Margarita Robles told a parliamentary committee...
"The crisis in Ceuta didn't begin on 30 July," said Esther Muñoz of the conservative People's Party (PP), as she questioned Robles in parliament.
"It's been brewing for years and you know it, because you know that [the Moroccan authorities] have spent years sizing us up, sizing up our ability to respond and our willingness to do so."
The crisis has raised concerns in Spain about Moroccan claims to Ceuta and Melilla.
Immigration issues inevitably lead to a surge in right-wing parties willing to deal with them. Will the same thing happen in Spain? This is basically the global Left vs. the Spanish Right.
The vote is also set to be a referendum on Mr. Sánchez himself, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders and a deeply unpopular figure among right-wing voters in Spain.
Mr. Sánchez has become a hero to the global left for standing up to the Trump administration over the war in Iran and for supporting renewable energy and inclusive immigration policies. At home, his popularity was dented by corruption accusations directed at his innermost circle, and, in July, by the sudden arrival in Ceuta of tens of thousands of migrants coming from Morocco...
Mr. Sánchez said that voters would have to choose between keeping Spain as “a bastion of social justice” or “the far-right wave that brings regression wherever it governs.” That was a reference to Vox, which could join a right-wing government led by the Popular Party, the main conservative opposition group...
Recent polls have shown a rise in support for Vox. The party has placed third with around 18 percent in recent polls, while the Popular Party has been projected to win more than 30 percent. The Socialist Party is polling at around 26 percent.
If the election were held this week, Sanchez would probably lose, but he's got nearly two months to turn things around.
Editor's Note: The Democrat Party has been infected by socialism, and it's spreading FAST. Democrats are claiming there's nothing to worry about, but we know the truth.
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