MADRID: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has called an early election for Nov. 29, seeking a stronger mandate after his government lost a key parliamentary vote on housing measures and faced growing protests over the country’s housing crisis.
Sánchez announced the election Monday in a televised address, saying voters should have the chance to decide whether his Socialist-led government should continue.
“We need to renew people's support,” Sánchez said, calling for a larger progressive majority in Parliament to push through his government’s agenda.
The decision followed last week’s rejection of government housing decrees by a fragmented Parliament. The defeat came as housing activists staged large protests across Spain, putting the issue at the center of the political debate.
Sánchez acknowledged that his government had made mistakes and failed to deliver on some campaign promises. He said he understood that some voters were dissatisfied but urged them to support his vision of Spain as a country focused on social justice, openness and environmental responsibility.
The early vote puts Sánchez’s Socialist Party in a difficult position. The party has trailed the opposition People's Party in most opinion polls, while the far-right Vox has also gained support.
People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo welcomed the election announcement. The conservative opposition has repeatedly demanded that Sánchez dissolve Parliament and call an early vote.
Sánchez has governed with a minority coalition and depended on support from several smaller parties, including Catalan separatist groups, to pass legislation. Political divisions have made it difficult for his government to move major bills through Parliament, and Spain has not approved a national budget since 2023.
The housing issue had given Sánchez an opportunity to focus his campaign on one of the country's most pressing domestic concerns. But the rejection of his housing measures exposed the limits of his support in Parliament.
Sánchez first became prime minister in 2018 after leading a successful no-confidence motion that removed conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. He remained in power through successive elections by negotiating support from different parties.
He secured another term in 2023 after reaching agreements with several parties, including Catalan separatists, whose backing was needed to form a government.
The upcoming election will determine whether Sánchez can win enough support to strengthen his position or whether opposition parties will gain the numbers needed to form a new government.
Vox leader Santiago Abascal has warned against treating opinion polls as a guarantee, pointing to the 2023 election, when Sánchez managed to remain in power despite predictions of a different outcome.
Spanish financial markets showed little immediate reaction to the announcement. The IBEX stock index was broadly flat, while government bonds remained largely steady.
