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 sparked outrage and set off a political fight that could change Spain’s housing laws.
The government is rushing to pass a new housing decree to prevent more evictions like Maricarmen’s. Junts per Catalunya holds the deciding votes, and the Catalan party is 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, The Guardian reported.
Pedro Sánchez’s government is still feeling the fallout from April, when its housing decree failed. PP and Vox joined UPN and Junts to block it. Now Sánchez calls this moment a “window of chance.” He described Maricarmen’s eviction as “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 prevents more cases like Maricarmen’s. Reuters reports that 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. Carles Puigdemont, who is in Waterloo, has refused to “save the government.” Jordi Turull and Míriam Nogueras have taken the same position. They accuse Sánchez’s team of breaking deals. Junts has shown it is willing to block government plans, even at the cost of 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, alongside PP and Vox, has also blocked anti-eviction moratoriums and rental contract extensions. The party’s votes are impressive in parliament.
Junts says its demands are simple. It will support the decree only if it protects small property owners. The party argues that many people in Catalonia 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.”
Spanish parliamentary and news sources report that the proposed housing decree would suspend evictions for vulnerable tenants until alternative accommodation is found, while compensating landlords, especially small property owners. Sumar is pushing for stricter measures, including 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 wants tax breaks to encourage owners to rent out homes. It also seeks mortgage deductions whether the owner lives there or rents the property out, as well as savings incentives for young people. The party is calling for 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 housing fight extends beyond Madrid and Barcelona. Other recent events, such as 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: stick to its hard line and risk blame for more tragedies, or 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 responds to the real problems facing Spain’s most vulnerable people. The party’s next step will show whether it can find a balance or remain stuck as public patience runs out.
