MADRID: Thousands of people marched in cities across Spain on Saturday, demanding stronger protection for tenants after parliament rejected the government’s emergency housing measures.
More than 50 demonstrations were planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and other cities. The protests followed Friday’s double defeat for Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s minority left wing government, which failed to win enough support in Congress for two decrees intended to ease pressure on renters, according to BBC News
The first proposal would have extended safeguards for vulnerable tenants facing eviction, tightened rules on property speculation and expanded measures aimed at easing rental costs. It was rejected by 178 votes to 172. A second decree, which sought to make residential rental contracts automatically renewable, failed by 184 votes to 166.
The votes have intensified pressure on Sánchez, whose Socialist Party governs with the junior Sumar alliance but lacks a parliamentary majority. The Catalan separatist party Junts joined the conservative People’s Party and the far right Vox in rejecting the measures.
Anger has been growing since the eviction of 87 year old Maricarmen Abascal, whose case became a symbol of Spain’s deepening housing struggle. Her removal from her home prompted protests, including a continuing camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square.
In Valencia, clashes broke out near a real estate event, with some protesters throwing objects at police, Spanish media reported. Tenant groups said the demonstrations would continue and called for a general strike over soaring rents, evictions and the shortage of affordable homes.
Spain’s housing shortage has pushed rents and property prices higher, leaving many young people and low income families struggling to find stable homes. Saturday’s marches showed that, for many tenants, the crisis has moved beyond parliament and into the streets.
