“The vote by Junts will brand them before entire generations,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared on the social media platform X, as the national government refused opposition demands to withdraw its core housing decrees ahead of an extraordinary congressional vote in Madrid.
Prime Minister Rejects Demands to Pull Housing Decrees
Government sources confirmed Thursday night that the progressive coalition rejected demands from Junts to rescind the anti-eviction decree, setting up a high-stakes legislative showdown in the national parliament.
The political clash centers on emergency measures designed to halt evictions and protect vulnerable tenants. While left-wing parties and housing rights activists camped outside Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya pressed for government action, the executive insisted the existing regulations remain necessary to curb speculation.
Coalition Defends Anti-Speculation Measures and Tenant Protections
Government officials defended the legislative framework as an essential shield for middle- and working-class citizens. State Housing Secretary Leire Iglesias told RNE that withdrawing the decrees would strip citizens of legally guaranteed rights currently published in the Official State Gazette (BOE).
“Withdrawing the decree would mean withdrawing rights that today are published in the BOE for many citizens,” Iglesias said, urging Junts to reconsider its stance before the parliamentary vote.
La Moncloa maintained that the measures successfully target vulture funds and curb predatory pricing without harming small landlords. Yet Junts leaders remain aligned with sector lobbies and business associations, including the Chambers of Property of Catalonia, which argue the current rules undermine small property owners.
Social Protests and Warnings of Snap Elections
Street pressure intensified following the recent eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old resident of Madrid whose plight initially prompted the government to approve the dual housing decrees. The Renters Union (Sindicat de Llogateres) refused to rule out a general strike, appealing directly to major labor federations CCOO and UGT while organizing a demonstration outside the Congress of Deputies.
Emilio Delgado, deputy spokesperson for Más Madrid in the regional assembly, suggested that if Junts fulfills its threat to sink the legislation, it could trigger a snap national election.
Sumar housing spokesperson Alberto Ibañez told Cadena SER that lawmakers in Junts must bear the political cost of their vote. Ibañez disclosed that his party was consulting with parliamentary allies to demand a public roll-call vote, insisting that opposing the tenant protection measures should not come without accountability.
Separate Decrees Face Defeat in Congressional Vote
The extraordinary plenary session in Madrid involves two separate legislative texts. While the primary anti-eviction decree drew fierce debate, a second decree establishing automatic contract renewals and tenant compensation faced certain defeat after the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) joined Junts in opposition.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente noted on social media that dividing the housing regulations into separate decrees eliminated any chance of salvaging individual provisions. With the congressional vote imminent, the government’s challenge to Junts leaves no room for compromise, testing the limits of parliamentary alliances in the Spanish legislature.
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