Spain’s Pedro Sanchez announces snap election amid housing crisis
Al Jazeera · LC · trust 48/100
play Live Sign up Show navigation menu Navigation menu News Show more news sections Africa Asia US & Canada Latin America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East Explained Sport Opinion Video More Show more sections Originals Features Economy Human Rights Climate Crisis Investigations Interactives In Pictures Science & Technology Podcasts Travel Sponsored Content play Live Click here to search search Sign up News | Housing Spain’s Pedro Sanchez announces snap election amid housing crisis Sanchez calls early vote after Parliament rejected housing relief measures proposed by his minority government.
x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announces early election during a televised address in Madrid, October 5, 2026 [Handout/Office of the Prime Minister of Spain via EPA] By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters Published On 5 Oct 2026 5 Oct 2026 | Updated: 2 hours ago Updated: 2 hours ago Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced a snap general election after Parliament rejected housing relief measures proposed by his minority government.
Sanchez said on Monday the vote would take place on November 29. “We need to renew people’s support,” he said in a televised address.
“We need to mobilise and win a much larger progressive majority in Parliament, one that will allow us to overcome vested interests, deliver new social advances and continue transforming Spain.”
In recent weeks, Spaniards have demanded solutions from the government over housing affordability, holding protests across the country after public outrage grew over the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid last month.
The government said more than 70,000 people took part in a housing protest in the capital on Saturday.
For years, housing has been a top concern for Spaniards as current levels fall short of demand. According to real estate website Idealista, average rents have almost doubled over the past decade, while asking prices for homes have risen by about 90 percent.
In his announcement, Sanchez acknowledged having made mistakes and falling short of previous campaign promises.
“I also know that part of that social majority is dissatisfied today,” Sanchez said.
But facing the electorate is a risky move for Sanchez. Opinion polls suggest that a coalition led by the conservative People’s Party (PP), with support from the far-right Vox party, is the most likely outcome in the election.
If they win, it will be the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco that a far-right party has entered central government.
PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo urged voters to bring his party to power in the election.
“The question I put to voters is whether they want four more years of what we’ve been living through, or whether they want to give change a chance,” he said in a televised address.
If Sanchez loses the election, it will also mark the end of one of Europe’s last left-leaning governments as the far right continues to gain ground across the continent.
Sanchez has stood out worldwide for his strong stance on progressive ideas, from defending the rights of Palestinian people to defending multilateral institutions and cracking down on tech oligarchs.
The prime minister, who has never won enough votes to form a majority government, has brought together a series of fragile and seemingly impossible coalitions, ranging from the far left to the separatist right, to remain in power for three successive terms, lasting eight years.
Read the original at Al Jazeera →
Open in TruthVane →