The eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen in Madrid has pushed the Spanish government into urgent talks with Junts and other partners over a new emergency housing decree. The outcome could change protections for vulnerable tenants and shake up the coalition.
Maricarmen, 87, was forced out of her Madrid apartment after living there for more than 70 years. Her eviction on September 23, 2026, drew crowds of protesters and quickly became a flashpoint in Spain’s housing crisis. The case has shaken the country’s political class and set off a rush to pass new housing protections that have been stuck for months. Reuters reports that Maricarmen’s story has become a symbol of how deep the crisis runs.
With the next Council of Ministers meeting coming up, the government is scrambling to get Junts and other coalition partners back to the table. They need enough votes to pass a real decreto-ley that would stop evictions when there’s no alternative housing. Maricarmen’s case has made this push urgent. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking from New York, said the government will bring forward a new emergency housing decree with stronger protections against evictions, according to Reuters and other major outlets.
As of September 24, 2026, the new housing decree had not yet been approved by the Council of Ministers, published, or registered in parliament.
Junts now holds the key votes. The party has handed over a list of demands: tax breaks for renters, partial mortgage deductions for small landlords, and bringing back the old 'cuentas vivienda' savings accounts to help young people buy homes. Junts also wants to freeze evictions from properties owned by investment funds and stop those funds from buying more homes. Other proposals would exempt elderly homeowners moving into care from capital gains tax and let families cancel mortgages if banks sell the debt at a loss. El Constitucional reports that these economic demands are now at the center of talks, with Junts’ support needed to pass the decree.
Talks have been tense. The last attempt to pass a similar decree failed in April. A summer push fell apart when support vanished. Two weeks ago, Junts gave its latest proposal directly to Sánchez. Party sources say the Ministry of Housing is now seriously weighing their terms. There’s some optimism, but nothing is settled. The current package is bigger than just an eviction freeze. It includes rental extensions, caps on rent hikes, protections for vulnerable tenants even after final court rulings, and compensation for small landlords if evictions are put on hold, as reported by El Constitucional and other independent sources.
The Maricarmen case has sparked mass protests in Madrid, with thousands taking to the streets and police intervention reported. According to BBC and Reuters, the incident has highlighted not just an individual dispute but the scale of Spain's housing shortage and the growing public demand for systemic reform.
The government is also facing pushback from other partners. ERC’s Gabriel Rufián has slammed the idea of letting Junts set housing policy, saying the left should lead and force Junts to show its true colors. Some of Junts’ tax proposals are unpopular with other coalition members, especially with elections coming up. Sumar and other left-wing groups have issued ultimatums, demanding the decree be approved right away. This has put more pressure on PSOE’s leadership, as reported by El Constitucional.
Pedro Sánchez, after his speech at the United Nations in New York, called Maricarmen’s eviction a “social tragedy.” He said if the earlier housing decree had passed, she might not have lost her home, though he admitted alternative housing was offered. Sánchez urged all parliamentary groups to show “heightened responsibility” and end the deadlock.
The fallout from Maricarmen’s eviction has been huge, as covered in a recent report. The government’s urgency is driven by public anger and the sense that the current laws, left over from a previous majority, no longer work. Junts and PNV now hold the balance of power and are shaping the debate.
Podemos is also involved, pushing to remove changes to land law from the draft. The Ministry of Housing is trying to balance all these demands and find a deal that can survive a tough parliamentary vote.
What happens next will show if the government can keep its promise to protect the most vulnerable. The result will decide not just the fate of the new housing decree, but whether Spain’s divided coalition can still function when it matters most. Maricarmen’s case has shown the limits of political maneuvering and forced leaders to face the real problems in Spain’s housing system. If the government can’t get a deal, it risks not just losing a vote, but losing public trust on an issue that affects people’s daily lives.
