The forced eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid home has set off a political storm. With a new housing decree up for debate, Junts per Catalunya faces public anger and tough questions about its stance on property owner protections.
Maricarmen Abascal, 87, lost the Madrid apartment she had lived in for seventy years. Police forced her out of her home in the Retiro district. The eviction did more than spark outrage. It set off a political fight that could change Spain’s housing laws.
The government is rushing to pass a new housing decree to stop more evictions like Maricarmen’s. Junts per Catalunya holds the deciding votes. The Catalan party is now under heavy pressure. Public anger is running high. A CIS survey found that 41% of Spaniards are worried about finding and paying for a place to live. Junts can no longer stay on the sidelines.
During Maricarmen Abascal's eviction on September 23, 2026, police used tear gas and batons to clear protesters from the entrance, according to The Guardian.
Pedro Sánchez’s government is still feeling the fallout from April, when its housing decree failed. PP, Vox, UPN, and Junts blocked it. Now, Sánchez calls this moment a “window of opportunity.” He called Maricarmen’s eviction “a social tragedy that cannot be accepted.” He promised to send a new decree to Congress right away and urged lawmakers to act with “responsibility” and “vision.” The Sindicato de Inquilinas backed him, demanding a strong law that closes loopholes and stops more cases like Maricarmen’s. Reuters reports the government sped up work on the new decree after the eviction. The next cabinet meeting could happen as soon as September 29.
But Junts per Catalunya is not backing down. The party’s leaders—Carles Puigdemont in Waterloo, Jordi Turull, and Míriam Nogueras—have refused to “save the government.” They accuse Sánchez’s team of breaking deals. Junts has shown it is willing to block government plans, even if it means unpopular results. When Junts joined PP and Vox to stop an omnibus decree, it blocked pension hikes for 12 million people and ended public transport subsidies. Reuters points out that Junts, along with PP and Vox, has also blocked anti-eviction moratoriums and rental contract extensions. The party’s votes are crucial in parliament.
Junts says its demands are simple. It will only support the decree if it protects small property owners. The party argues that in Catalonia, many people rely on rental income to get by. Junts says these owners should not be blamed for the housing crisis. Jordi Martí Galbis, Junts’ leader in Barcelona’s city council, put it this way: “We support regulating markets, but only with maximum consensus and without blaming owners.”
The proposed housing decree includes a suspension of evictions for vulnerable tenants until alternative accommodation is found, with compensation for landlords—especially small property owners. Sumar is pushing for even stricter measures, such as a two-year extension of some rental contracts and a 2% cap on rent indexation.
Esquerra Republicana says it has “done its homework” on housing. Elisenda Alamany and Gabriel Rufián have criticized the government’s talks with Junts. The Comunes want Maricarmen’s case to be a turning point and are calling for broad alliances. Junts, meanwhile, wants tax breaks to encourage owners to rent out homes, mortgage deductions whether the owner lives there or rents it out, and savings incentives for young people. The party also wants tougher action against illegal occupation, but only if it does not raise costs for owners or weaken Catalan autonomy.
Salvador Illa, Catalonia’s president, called Maricarmen’s eviction “blindness, the greed of money trampling over people.” He has made housing a top issue for his government. Illa says “institutions exist to fight this, and at least the Catalan ones are doing so.”
The fight over housing is not just in Madrid or Barcelona. Other recent events, like the debate over moving migrant minors, show how social policy and politics are shaping Spain’s laws in unpredictable ways.
The government’s housing decree is still up in the air. Junts now faces a clear choice. It can stick to its hard line and risk being blamed for more tragedies, or it can negotiate terms that protect small owners without causing more evictions. Maricarmen’s case has made the issue personal. Parties can no longer hide behind abstract arguments. Every move by Junts will be judged by how it deals with the real problems facing Spain’s most vulnerable people. The party’s next step will show if it can find a balance—or if it will stay stuck as public patience runs out.
