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. Thousands took to the streets, and police intervention was reported. Reuters reports that Maricarmen’s story has become a symbol of the crisis’s depth.
With the next Council of Ministers meeting approaching, the government is scrambling to bring Junts and other coalition partners back to the table. It needs enough votes to pass a real decreto-ley that would stop evictions when there is no alternative housing. As of September 24, 2026, the new decree had not been approved by the Council of Ministers. It had not been published or registered in parliament. Maricarmen’s case has made the push urgent. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking from New York, said the government would bring forward a new emergency housing decree with stronger protections against evictions, information from Reuters and other major outlets.
Junts now holds the basic votes. The party has submitted a list of demands: tax breaks for renters and partial mortgage deductions for small landlords. It also wants the return of the old 'cuentas vivienda' savings accounts to help young people buy homes. Junts 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 basic to the talks, with Junts’ support needed to pass the decree.
Talks have been tense. The last attempt to pass a similar decree failed in April, and 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 its terms. There is some optimism, but nothing is settled. The current package goes beyond an eviction freeze: it would extend rental agreements and cap rent hikes. It would also protect vulnerable tenants even after final court rulings and compensate small landlords if evictions are put on hold, as reported by El Constitucional and other independent sources.
The government is also facing pushback from other partners. ERC’s Gabriel Rufián has criticized 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 that the decree be approved right away. This has added pressure on PSOE’s leadership, as reported by El Constitucional.
After his speech at the United Nations in New York, Pedro Sánchez called Maricarmen’s eviction a “social tragedy.” He said that if the earlier housing decree had passed, she might not have lost her home, though he acknowledged that alternative housing was offered. Sánchez urged all parliamentary groups to show “heightened responsibility” and end the deadlock.
BBC and Reuters reported that the case highlighted the scale of Spain’s housing shortage and growing public demand for systemic reform. The fallout from Maricarmen’s eviction has been extensive, as covered in a recent report. Public anger and the view that laws left over from a previous majority no longer work have added urgency to the government’s efforts. 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 these demands and reach a deal that can survive a tough parliamentary vote.
The outcome will determine the fate of the new housing decree and test whether Spain’s divided coalition can function when it matters most. If the government cannot reach a deal, it risks losing the vote and public trust on an issue that affects people’s daily lives.
