Spain’s left-wing government suffered a significant parliamentary setback after lawmakers rejected two housing measures championed by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez — proposals that critics say would have imposed even greater government control over the country’s already strained rental market.
The vote came after one of Sánchez’s coalition partners went even further, raising the possibility that the government could seize the apartment of an 87-year-old woman following a highly publicized eviction dispute.
That proposal was ultimately rejected by Sánchez’s own government, with Socialist minister Félix Bolaños pointing to Spain’s Constitution as a barrier. But the controversy highlighted just how far some members of the governing coalition are prepared to go as Spain struggles with soaring housing costs and a shrinking supply of affordable homes.
The parliamentary defeat that followed exposed another problem for Sánchez: his government increasingly depends on parties that do not share the same vision for Spain’s economy, housing market, or political future.
