Spain: Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calls early elections after decrees to (further) intervene in housing market fail

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, a socialist, Pedro Sánchez, announced that he is moving up the general elections to November 29, 2026, when they were originally scheduled to be held in 2027. Sánchez took two days to reflect before announcing this measure after failing last Friday to get the Congress of Deputies to approve two decree-laws that would have (further) intervened in the Spanish housing market.

The Socialist leader's decision has two sides. On the one hand, Sánchez has acknowledged that he lacks sufficient parliamentary support to continue legislating—he has failed for four years to fulfill his constitutional duty to present a budget. Furthermore, polls have been showing a steady loss of votes for his party due to the mismanagement of the crisis involving the invasion of Ceuta by some 100,000 Moroccans, most of whom are men of military age.

"A window of opportunity"

However, another factor that weighed heavily on his decision—probably even more so than the above—was the citizen mobilization by the left over housing. Sánchez's polling gurus point out that the resurgence of street protests by radicals could provide them with "a window of opportunity." For this reason, it is in the Socialists' interest to call for an election as soon as possible, before the "Maricarmen effect" fades.

Just last Saturday, thousands of people marched in Spain's major cities to express their rejection of the politicians who overturned the decrees—which the left has been quick to highlight with photos on social media—and to demand radical measures that would, in effect, bring the end of private property in the country.

Call for mobilization of the left

In his address from the Moncloa Palace, Sánchez issued a call for mobilization of the left to achieve "a much broader progressive majority with which to bring the elites to their knees":

"The time has therefore come for Spaniards to decide what future you want for yourselves and for your country. Now it is up to you. To thoroughly undertake the pending reforms we need so that citizens can reduce these levels of inequality, we must mobilize and ensure that Parliament grants us a much broader progressive majority with which to bring the elites to heel, achieve new social advances, and continue transforming Spain. To do more, we need to renew and expand the support of the people," he said.

A Prime Minister under legal scrutiny

The Spanish Prime Minister is also beset by corruption cases that directly implicate him. His own wife, Begoña Gómez, is facing a jury trial for embezzlement and influence peddling. Her brother, David Sánchez, was sentenced to nine years of disqualification from public office for administrative malfeasance. The court acquitted him of the charges of influence peddling

In addition, the former Minister of Transportation and organizational secretary of the PSOE, José Luis Ábalos, is currently in prison for criminal organization, bribery, misuse of confidential information, influence peddling, and embezzlement.

His replacement in the party, Santos Cerdán, also spent time in prison, albeit provisionally, while the investigation against him continues for bribery, influence peddling, and criminal organization in a scheme involving illegal commissions for the awarding of public contracts. In addition, the courts continue to investigate other individuals and possible schemes within the president's political party.