Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has pledged to bring a new housing decree before the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen triggered protests in Madrid and renewed pressure on the governing coalition.
The woman was removed from her Madrid home, where she had lived for seven decades, and remains in hospital. Her case has become a symbol of Spain’s worsening housing crisis, with demonstrators demanding stronger tenant protections and lower housing costs.
Government faces pressure over proposed housing decree
Speaking at a Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) rally in Getafe on Sunday, Sánchez said his government was working “against the clock” to prepare the decree. He also appealed to parliamentary groups to make a final effort to support the measures in Congress.
Sánchez described housing as a humanitarian issue that should rise above political divisions. However, the government still needs to secure sufficient parliamentary backing, meaning approval by ministers would not automatically guarantee that the decree becomes permanent law.
The proposed package is being negotiated amid intense public scrutiny. Government sources have expressed confidence that an agreement can be reached, but details may change before the Council of Ministers considers the text.
Measures under discussion
Among the proposals reportedly being discussed with the Catalan party Junts are:
- Restrictions on evicting tenants from properties owned by investment funds.
- Measures intended to prevent investment funds from acquiring additional residential properties.
- Additional protections for tenants facing the loss of their homes.
The precise legal form and scope of the measures remained subject to negotiation in the information available on Sunday. Any decree would also face scrutiny in Congress, where the government must seek the support needed to maintain it.
Maricarmen’s eviction becomes a national political issue
Maricarmen appealed directly to Sánchez in a video recorded on Saturday, asking the prime minister to introduce measures so that others would not experience what she had endured.
She was reportedly taken from the property in Madrid’s Retiro district on a stretcher. The investment fund Urbagestión, which owns the former building, has faced criticism from neighbourhood campaigners. Madrid City Council rejected the fund’s offer concerning the flat and began its own mediation efforts.
The incident has exposed differences inside Spain’s governing coalition. The left-wing Sumar party has called for the property to be expropriated so Maricarmen could return home. Government minister Félix Bolaños rejected that proposal, saying it did not have a clear constitutional basis.
Sumar minister Pablo Bustinduy said his party would continue to support expropriation, despite opposition from its Socialist coalition partner. The disagreement reflects a wider debate over how far the state should intervene in private housing ownership to protect vulnerable tenants.
Protest camp grows in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol
About 100 tents were established in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol after tens of thousands of people marched on Saturday to demand more affordable housing and stronger safeguards against eviction.
Those taking part have organised communal meals, banner-making sessions and other activities. Solidarity demonstrations have also been announced in cities including Burgos, León, Córdoba and Almería.
The Tenants’ Union has warned that it will not accept a diluted package produced through negotiations. That means the government could face continued demonstrations even if ministers approve the decree on Tuesday.
Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar visited the camp and described the housing crisis as unbearable. His appearance added to the public attention surrounding the protests, although the movement remains primarily focused on housing affordability, tenant rights and evictions.
Echoes of Spain’s 15-M movement
The Puerta del Sol camp has drawn comparisons with the 15-M protests that began in the same square on 15 May 2011. Protesters then remained in place for 28 consecutive days as anger grew over unemployment, evictions, austerity and the consequences of the global financial crisis.
The current demonstrations reflect a different stage of the housing crisis. Political scientist and columnist Estefanía Molina said the earlier movement focused heavily on people being unable to buy homes, while today’s protesters are also struggling to find or retain affordable rental accommodation.
That shift has made rents, tenant security and the role of investment funds central issues in Spanish politics. It also places pressure on national and local authorities to show that any new policy can produce practical protection for people at risk of losing their homes.
What happens next?
The immediate next step is the Council of Ministers meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The government aims to approve the housing decree there, but its contents and parliamentary prospects will depend on the negotiations conducted over the weekend and the support available in Congress.
Several questions remain open:
- Whether ministers will approve the full package under discussion.
- Whether the decree will secure enough support in Congress.
- Whether the measures will cover properties owned by investment funds as proposed.
- Whether the Puerta del Sol protest camp will continue after the government’s announcement.
The eviction has therefore become more than an individual case. It has intensified Spain’s national debate over housing costs, tenant protections and the balance between private property rights and public intervention.
Conclusion
Sánchez’s pledge to present a housing decree is the clearest immediate response from the Spanish government to the public anger surrounding Maricarmen’s eviction. The decisive test will come after Tuesday: whether the measures are approved, whether Congress supports them and whether they provide the stronger protections demanded by tenants’ groups.
