Spain heading to elections? Reports: Sánchez expected to dissolve parliament today

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to announce the dissolution of parliament and early elections, after parliament rejected a housing package formulated following the eviction of an elderly woman from her apartment. The decision comes amid a severe housing crisis, massive protests across the country, and Sánchez's loss of a parliamentary majority. Polls predict a victory for the right.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is expected to announce today (Monday, October 5, 2026) the dissolution of parliament and early elections, according to reports in the Spanish media. The decision comes three days after the lower house of parliament rejected a package of housing measures formulated by the government, including restrictions on tenant evictions and rent control. The package was formulated following the eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, from her apartment in Madrid. An investment fund that purchased her apartment demanded raising the rent from €440 to €1,650 per month, while her pension stands at €1,350. The eviction turned her into a symbol of Spain's housing crisis and sparked a wave of protests: tens of thousands demonstrated in Madrid, encampments were set up in Puerta del Sol square and other cities, and on Saturday 70,000 people marched in Madrid according to authorities, or 500,000 according to organizers. The parliamentary loss is another blow to Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018. At the end of 2023, he formed a minority government with Sumar, supported by separatist parties, but last October the Catalan party Junts, led by Carles Puigdemont, announced it was moving to the opposition. Junts voted against the decrees, claiming they would reduce the housing supply. Sánchez is also under pressure from corruption scandals involving his wife, brother, and former senior party members, as well as criticism over handling the crisis in Ceuta. If elections are advanced, they are expected to be held on November 29. Polls do not bode well for Sánchez: the People's Party leads with about a third of the vote, his party with about a quarter, and Vox gets about 18% – together a clear majority. The government hopes that the housing crisis will bring disappointed left-wing voters back to the polls.