Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that early parliamentary elections will be held on November 29, while also announcing the dissolution of Parliament, nine months before the end of its term.
The announcement was made on Monday morning from the Moncloa Palace, following a weekend of consultations with government members, Socialist Party leaders and political partners.
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The decision came after Parliament rejected, last Friday, two housing decrees put forward by the government. The measures had been drafted following widespread public reaction to the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid.
Junts, the Catalan party, voted against both decrees, aligning itself with the People’s Party (PP) and Vox. This came despite the government having negotiated part of the measures’ content with the Catalan separatists.
The rejection of the decrees sparked protests in several Spanish cities. During the weekend, thousands of citizens took to the streets to demand solutions to the housing crisis.
Sánchez acknowledged that his cabinet had made mistakes and had not achieved all the objectives it had set. He nevertheless urged voters to choose between what he called a “wave of the far right” and a “broader progressive majority.”
The head of government defended the results of his term in office, highlighting progress in renewable energy, social rights and the reduction of inequalities.
During his speech, he said the government had weathered unprecedented crises amid wars and geopolitical uncertainty. Sánchez declared that he had “fought against tyrants, techno-oligarchs and regimes that commit genocide.”
The prime minister also criticized the opposition formed by the PP and Vox, which he described as “the worst possible opposition.” According to him, these forces have even questioned the legitimacy of his position as prime minister.
On November 29, Spanish citizens will vote on the new composition of Parliament and the country’s future direction of government.
