At the Alderdi Eguna rally in Vitoria, Aitor Esteban urged Spain's Government to reach a workable housing deal. The PNV leader said the executive should seek a minimum common denominator rather than hold to its maximum position for electoral reasons.
The dispute centers on how to respond to the housing crisis. Esteban wants measures that address specific problems and can win enough support to move ahead.
Spanish authorities estimated that around 25,000 people took part in the Madrid housing protest, while international agencies put the turnout in the tens of thousands, AP reported.
Information from elDiario.es, Esteban told the Government to drop its maximum positions. He called instead for a minimum common denominator while the decree is still being prepared.
The package is still unsettled. Esteban asked the Government to change its approach before finalising 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 pressing their own demands. ARA reported that Junts wants a 15% IRPF tax deduction and tax incentives for selling homes to the state. It is also seeking restrictions on so-called vulture funds, alongside tougher eviction rules.
AP has described the package under discussion as the “Maricarmen decree”. Its proposed measures include automatic extensions of rental contracts and new restrictions on evictions, though the final text has not been approved.
The proposed package has become more urgent after the eviction of an 87-year-old woman turned into a symbol of the housing crisis. AP and other agencies linked the case to the mass mobilisation in Madrid. Protesters have called for stronger tenant protection, including 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. Information from 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 address concrete housing problems without relying 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, while Junts has backed an attainable common position and advanced its own proposals. 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 ties its response to electoral positioning.
