Spaniards protest housing crisis as Sánchez weighs snap election
Demonstrations against Spain's housing crisis continue as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez considers calling early elections, prompting the country's divided left-wing parties to scramble for unity ahead of a possible vote.
Large-scale protests over Spain's housing affordability crisis continued over the weekend, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez stayed out of public view, weighing his next political move.
Several regional leaders of the Socialist party — including Emiliano García-Page, president of Castilla-La Mancha, along with party leaders in Extremadura, the Basque Country and Castilla y León — called on Sánchez on Saturday to call an early election, arguing that voters deserve to have their voices heard.
Left scrambles for unity
With the possibility of a snap election looming, Spain's fragmented left-wing bloc is rushing to regroup. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz has said she will not run for reelection, leaving Health Minister Mónica García and Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun as the leading candidates to take over leadership of her Sumar party. Podemos leader Irene Montero is also positioning herself to head a broader left-wing coalition, as is longtime housing rights activist and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, who has signaled interest in returning to frontline politics to lead a progressive alliance.
Right-wing parties lead in polls
Current polling shows the center-right People's Party in front with 34% support, and it remains open to forming a government with the far-right Vox party, which polls at 18%. Sánchez's Socialists trail with 26% backing, meaning they would need the splintered left to unite behind a workable alliance capable of winning enough parliamentary seats to form a new coalition.
The housing protests that have swept Spain have also spread beyond its borders, with similar demonstrations reported in Lisbon, Dublin, Potsdam and The Hague — reflecting a broader European problem of housing shortages and mounting pressure on governments to expand the supply of affordable homes.
