Aitor Esteban is urging Spain's Government to seek workable housing measures. The PNV leader says the decree should not be shaped around the next electoral campaign.
At the Alderdi Eguna rally in Vitoria, Aitor Esteban urged Spain's Government to find a workable housing deal. The PNV leader said the executive should seek a minimum common denominator instead of holding to its maximum position for electoral reasons.
The disagreement is not about whether the housing crisis needs a response. It is about the shape of that response. Esteban wants measures that address specific problems and can win enough support to move ahead.
Authorities estimated that around 25,000 people took part in the Madrid housing protest, while international agencies described the turnout as numbering in the tens of thousands.
According to elDiario.es, Esteban told the Government not to seek maximum positions. He called instead for a minimum common denominator while the decree is still being prepared.
The package is not settled. Esteban asked the Government to change its approach before it finalises the response. He also warned against turning the housing issue into an extension of the next campaign.
The government is trying to secure support from Junts and the PNV. Without that backing, the package may not pass ratification in Congress. The details remain disputed.
Junts delivered a similar message at the same event. Its representatives called for an attainable common position, while also pressing their own demands. ARA reported that these include a 15% IRPF tax deduction, tax incentives for selling homes to the state, restrictions on so-called vulture funds and tougher eviction rules.
The package under discussion has been described in international reporting as the “Maricarmen decree”. Its proposed measures include automatic extensions of rental contracts and new restrictions on evictions, although the final text has not been approved.
The proposed package has gained urgency after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman became a symbol of the housing crisis. AP and other agencies linked the case to the mass mobilisation in Madrid. Protesters have called for tenant protection, anti-fraud measures and a ban on evictions without alternative housing.
Madrid remains part of the story. The Sol camp has stayed in Puerta del Sol, where an education demonstration also converged with the housing protest. According to ARA and AFP, protesters planned to keep the camp in place at least until Tuesday to pressure the Council of Ministers.
The camp keeps the dispute visible. The Government is preparing a decree, while the PNV wants a measure that can solve concrete housing problems without depending on a fully partisan formula.
That is Esteban's argument.
A narrower agreement, he says, would be better than a broad package built mainly to protect an electoral message. Junts has sent a similar signal in Vitoria, though it is still seeking changes of its own.
There is no indication that the decree has been approved or that the Government has accepted the PNV's request. The confirmed position is narrower: Esteban has called for compromise, Junts has backed an attainable common position while advancing its own proposals, and the housing debate continues around the camp in Sol.
The next test will come when the Government presents the decree and seeks support for it. Until then, the question is whether Madrid follows the practical route urged by the PNV or keeps the response tied to electoral positioning.
