MADRID, Oct 2 (Reuters) – Spain’s leftist government faced a bruising battle in parliament on Friday after an allied party opposed its plans to tackle a housing crisis stirring public protests, particularly over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman.
Junts, a Catalan region separatist centre-right party with seven lawmakers, argued that the proposals would exacerbate matters by reducing housing supply.
They include a ban on evictions of vulnerable tenants until 2030, a two-year rent freeze extension for existing leases, and tighter rules for short-term rentals.
“Many of the measures included will produce the opposite effect of what is intended: they will reduce the supply of rental housing, drive up prices, and make it even harder for people with limited financial means to access housing,” Junts said in a statement.
The eviction of pensioner Maricarmen Abascal last week triggered protests across Spain, with many young people pitching tents in Madrid’s central square and other cities for almost a week, bringing back memories of anti-austerity sit-ins sparked by the global financial crisis in 2008-12.
Abascal’s eviction unleashed anger over the cost of housing, with many young people living with parents past 30 years of age.
SOARING RENTS
Rents have doubled over the last decade with average prices reaching €1,176 ($1,323) a month, equivalent to 98.7% of the average salary for a young person, according to the Youth Council of Spain.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s minority left-wing coalition government has 147 seats in the 350-seat chamber and relies on smaller parties, including Junts, to pass legislation.
Opposition parties also oppose the decree.
A second decree, which would permit automatic and indefinite renewal of rental contracts and was one of the protesters’ main demands, was already expected not to pass because it had not secured the minimum support required.
Elections are due next year, but Spanish media said Sanchez might call a snap vote if the main housing decree is not passed during Friday’s session.
Yolanda Diaz, a deputy prime minister and founder of the far-left flank of the ruling coalition, condemned opposition parties and Junts for threatening the decree. “Let them show their true colours; let the public know how each of them votes and what they want for the country,” she told reporters.
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(Reporting by David Latona and Victoria Waldersee; Writing by Charlie Devereux, editing by Aislinn Laing and Xevi Fontdegloria)
