MADRID, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- With about 10 months remaining before Spain's next general election, the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Monday that he would dissolve the parliament and an early general election will be held on Nov. 29.
The announcement came after the parliament's rejection on Friday of two government decrees aimed at easing the housing crisis, amid widespread protests over soaring housing costs.
Analysts believe that an early election could give Sanchez an opportunity to seek a broader progressive majority that he says is needed to pursue pending reforms, particularly on housing and inequality. Yet the decision also comes as the left is faced with an unfavorable polling result and fragile parliamentary position, making the election a high-risk test for both Sanchez and the camp led by him.
HOUSING CRISIS AS TRIGGER
Spain's housing crisis was considered as an immediate trigger for Sanchez's decision to call an early election. Over the past several years, soaring rents and home prices have made it increasingly difficult for young people and low-income households to find affordable places to live, turning housing into one of Spain's most high-profile social issues.
Public anger intensified after 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from the Madrid home she had rented for years, sparking protests in cities across the country.
In response, the Spanish government introduced two emergency decrees on housing last week, aiming to strengthen protections for vulnerable tenants against eviction, curb speculative home purchases and provide greater security for long-term rental contracts.
However, the Congress rejected both decrees on Friday. The People's Party(PP), Vox and the conservative Catalan party Junts per Catalunya voted against them. The rejection highlighted the fragile parliamentary position of the coalition government led by Sanchez's Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which has relied on support from smaller and regional parties to pass legislation.
BID FOR BROADER PROGRESSIVE MAJORITY
In his address on Monday, Sanchez acknowledged that a part of Spain's social groups was dissatisfied and angry to see their interests "trampled upon in Parliament for the benefits of a few." He admitted that his government had made mistakes and had not achieved everything it had set out to do, citing unresolved problems on inequality, public services and access to housing.
"In order to do more, we need to renew and expand people's support," Sanchez said, calling for "a much broader, progressive majority" in parliament to carry out pending reforms and continue transforming Spain.
Analysts believe that Sanchez made the decision under pressure, trying to garner supports for the camp led by him.
Pablo Simon, a political scientist who authored a recent study by Carlos III University of Madrid, told local media that housing offered a policy frame more favorable to the left, allowing the government to regain the initiative and giving smaller left-wing parties a shared political banner.
Zhu Rui, secretary-general of the Centre for Spain Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Xinhua in an interview that calling an early election was "a proactive move made under pressure."
In his address, Sanchez presented the election as a choice over the country's political direction. He asked voters whether they wanted Spain to join "that far-right wave" or remain "a bastion of openness, social justice and environmental responsibility".
Zhu said the shortened campaign gives Sanchez an opportunity to mobilize young people, tenants and urban voters, while increasing pressure on the smaller left-wing parties to coordinate more closely. The housing issue gives those parties a shared and urgent social concern around which they can coordinate their campaigns and reconnect with voters.
UNCERTAIN ELECTORAL PROSPECT
The formal electoral process is set to begin on Tuesday, when the royal decree dissolving the parliament and calling the election is due to be published in Spain's Official State Gazette. The Congress and the Senate will then be dissolved and the countdown to the Nov. 29 election will be started.
A 40dB poll for Spanish media outlets El Pais and Cadena SER, conducted between Sept. 25 and 28, put the support for the People's Party at 31.6 percent, the PSOE at 27.4 percent and Vox at 18.4 percent. The smaller left-wing parties were also weak, having a combined 8.3 percent.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the main opposition People's Party, has placed housing at the center of his campaign, promising to increase homebuilding and cut taxes.
But the PP's path to power may depend on Vox, a far-right party whose support could be necessary for a parliamentary majority. Experts said that the prospect raises a key question for the campaign: whether a PP-led government would rely on Vox only for parliamentary backing or bring the party into the government.
Spain's proportional parliamentary system means that finishing first will not automatically translate into power. Current polling suggests that no party is on course to secure the 176 seats needed to govern alone. The People's Party could need Vox while Sanchez would need a more unified left and support from regional parties to retain office.
Nic Lawley, a special adviser at Chatham House, said that Sanchez's decision had set in motion one of a series of highly polarized elections across Europe. He said Sanchez's prospects would depend heavily on whether he could rally Spain's fragmented left, whose smaller parties are disadvantaged by the country's provincial electoral system unless they coordinate effectively. ■
