Hundreds of people remain camped in Madrid's Puerta del Sol after a weekend protest over access to housing, held in the wake of the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. The Government plans to approve its housing decree in the Council of Ministers this Tuesday.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo says the measure cannot repair eight years of failed policy. He calls it an attempt to extend what he describes as a sterile legislature. The PP leader also says the Government has not explained what the decree will change for people unable to buy or rent a home.
Feijóo says the PP, the country's first party, was not consulted for even a minute. He has yet to say whether the party will support the measure.
Housing ranked as Spaniards' 16th concern eight years ago, information from Feijóo. Now, he says, it is their number one problem. He blames the coalition Government for that shift and argues that prices have risen more than ever during Pedro Sánchez's time in office.
For Feijóo, the record amounts to failure.
The PP leader also attacked Yolanda Díaz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Labour Minister. Díaz called for mobilisation over the housing crisis; Feijóo said she should resign immediately. He argued that in a democratic country, a government minister should not call demonstrations against the executive.
Estimates of Saturday's march differ sharply: a government delegation put attendance at 25,000, while organisers claimed as many as 300,000. Protesters are also demanding stronger tenant protections, including rent controls or freezes, and an end to evictions without an alternative home.
Evictions are another focus of Feijóo's attack. He cited the 25,000 evictions that take place each year in Spain and recalled cases in Madrid and Catalonia. He also mentioned a woman with two children who was evicted and later died by suicide. Feijóo said nobody camped out or asked about her case.
The dispute is playing out alongside a visible protest in central Madrid. Hundreds of people have slept in tents at Puerta del Sol since the weekend. Reuters and AFP, as well as NPR and AP, describe the camp as part of a wider mobilisation over Spain's worsening housing affordability crisis, rather than a protest focused on one eviction.
Organisers say they will stay in Puerta del Sol at least until Tuesday's cabinet meeting. They call their demand a "Maricarmen decree". Euronews reports that the Sánchez government intends to approve the housing decree on Tuesday and has been seeking parliamentary backing. Public reports offer only limited detail about the package.
Feijóo's alternative centres on supply. He says Spain must build one million homes, with private initiative needed to reach that figure. He argues that construction would create thousands of jobs and that more homes would bring prices down. In his view, intervention would instead lead prices higher, reduce supply and worsen problems for demand. Democrata reports that Feijóo has called the Government's decree ineffective and presented increased housing supply as the PP's alternative.
His programme also includes tax measures for young people. It proposes lower income tax during the first years of employment, cuts to VAT and a reduction in Property Transfer Tax from 10% to 4%. The plan also offers 100% guarantees for the value of a home and easier access to mortgages. It would provide greater legal certainty for landlords and income tax deductions for tenants.
At the CECOT meeting in Terrasa, Feijóo presented ten economic commitments to renew the social contract. He linked them to higher disposable income for families and easier access to housing, alongside a productivity boost across the Spanish economy.
The Government is preparing a decree, but the PP questions its content and whether it can deliver results. The protests reflect the pressure around access to housing, but do not settle which policy can lower prices. Feijóo proposes building one million homes and introducing tax measures, while rejecting stronger market intervention. The Government's planned measure remains a proposal, not a solution already in place.
That distinction matters to young people who share homes or live with their parents. The dispute also concerns who is responsible for the housing crisis and what remedy should replace the current course. Feijóo's position is clear: without a large increase in supply, the Government will not solve the problem. Without an agreement with the PP, the decree will enter its parliamentary process under immediate political pressure.
