Spain's government re-approved two housing decrees on October 6 that parliament had rejected a week earlier, after Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap general election for November 29, a year ahead of schedule. The Popular Party, Vox and Junts voted down the first decree 178 to 172.
The measures include rent caps, a temporary eviction ban and limits on corporate purchases of residential property. They take effect temporarily once published in the state gazette, but must then be approved by a 69-member caretaker legislature, where a slim majority reportedly backs them. A second decree on automatic lease renewals needs that approval to take effect.
The push followed the attempted eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, which sparked nationwide protests and calls for a general strike. Sánchez, whose minority government has lacked a majority for about a year, says Spain needs a broader progressive majority; Reuters and AP describe the move as a high-risk gamble.