Spain’s housing crisis has exploded into a political fight. Junts, PP, and Vox are blamed for blocking eviction protections, as anger spills into the streets.
Tempers flared in Congress the moment Junts refused to back two emergency housing decrees. The left lashed out. Junts, PP, and Vox stood accused of turning their backs on thousands hoping for eviction relief. Outside, the mood was just as raw. Protesters from the Puerta del Sol encampment crowded the entrance, their chants cutting through the noise inside.
This was never just about legal details. For many, it was a public showdown. Águeda Micó from Compromís didn’t hold back. She said, “the PP, Vox and Junts would sell even their own mother for a pat from the powerful. Their homeland is their wallet. Dark times are coming. PP, Vox and Junts are working for the vulture funds. Let the fight continue, this is just the beginning.”
According to Reuters, the first housing decree would have extended the eviction ban for vulnerable tenants until December 31, 2030, and imposed a two-year rent freeze on existing contracts.
Government ministers saw what was at stake. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez tried one last time to win over Junts. She listed every Junts demand already included in the decrees. She claimed 90% of their proposals had made it in. PNV and Coalición Canaria, who had their own doubts, still planned to vote yes. Junts, led by Miriam Nogueras, refused to budge. She called the decrees a “sham” that did nothing for real people.
The government’s frustration was obvious. Officials described the talks as intense and said Junts had misled them. Rodríguez even offered to make more changes by decree law if Junts would just abstain. Junts said no. Gabriel Rufián of ERC, whose party shares voters with Junts, accused them of ignoring their own base. He waved a €50 note in the chamber and warned, “This overreach is legendary. You are not grasping what is happening here. You move with police escorts. I urge restraint from the public. But you, Ms. Nogueras, are a bad politician; you are destroying a party my country needs. Return to pujolismo, stop imitating Orriols or Ayuso.”
Patxi López from PSOE joined in. He said, “these decrees work, they are already stopping evictions. Junts, we will not withdraw them, we cannot waste more time. They also protect small landlords, stop playing games. Every vote against is a sentence for all the Maricarmens in this country.”
The second decree included an automatic extension of rental contracts and guaranteed tenants at least one year’s rent as compensation if a landlord refused to renew without sufficient grounds. Spanish media reported that this decree had already been published in the BOE but was considered almost doomed due to lack of support.
The government didn’t let PP and Vox off the hook. Their votes were key to blocking the decrees. Rodríguez called out the PP: “Today you can be relevant for Spain. Do it for your voters. When a vulture fund evicts neighbors, it does not ask who they vote for. If you side with the vulture funds, you are unfit to govern this country.” She reminded everyone that Isabel Díaz Ayuso had mocked Maricarmen, the 87-year-old woman evicted from her home, while she was still in hospital. “What do the funds offer you? What kind of patriot chooses a speculator over an elderly woman carried out on a stretcher? The next evictions will be your responsibility.”
PNV and Coalición Canaria took a different line. They admitted doubts but said compromise was needed in a crisis. Maribel Vaquero summed it up: “We have negotiated, leaving some skin in the game, but we have opted for a critical yes, with many doubts, out of responsibility.”
Vox’s Carlos Hernández Quero dismissed the government’s housing plan. He said the decrees would shrink the rental market and make it harder for people to find homes. The PP’s Juan Bravo agreed. He said the answer was to build more homes and pushed for an “anti-squatter law.” He insisted, “This decree would not have prevented Maricarmen’s eviction, it does not give a single home to a young person. We vote no to using the tragedy of an 87-year-old woman to cover up your failure. We choose to build housing.”
The end of the legislative term felt close. Many on the left blamed Junts for risking an early election. Tensions rose as protesters gathered outside. The scene brought back memories of the outrage after Maricarmen’s eviction and the mass protests that followed, as reported earlier by local media.
One thing is clear. Spain’s housing fight has split the political field. Junts, PP, and Vox now carry the blame for blocking measures that, according to the government and its allies, could have protected vulnerable tenants. The left is ready to rally its supporters. For them, this is a fight against powerful financial interests. The cost of blocking these decrees is rising. Those who stood in the way now face a public and electoral backlash that won’t fade soon.
