The Government sees its best chance in two years. Sánchez is seeking parliamentary support for a housing decree after the Madrid protest over Maricarmen Abascal's eviction.
Saturday's protest in Madrid followed the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. Thousands gathered in Puerta del Sol. Some protesters also set up a camp.
Pedro Sánchez's Government now sees its clearest opening in two years to advance its housing decree. Moncloa wants the Council of Ministers to approve the measure before Parliament votes on it. The political hurdle is Junts. Its support could leave both the PSOE and protesters unhappy.
The demonstration targeted Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the central Government. Protesters called for stronger tenant protection, a ban on evictions without alternative housing and action against rental fraud. Reuters and AP reported tens of thousands of participants, but the final count remains politically disputed.
Organisers said they intended to keep the camp in Puerta del Sol until the Government’s Tuesday meeting, when the new housing package was expected to be considered.
The PSOE sees an opening. Victory is not assured.
Sánchez has asked his parliamentary partners to make one final effort to support the decree. He presented the measure as a matter of humanity, not ideology. He also said the Government was working against the clock to bring it forward on Tuesday.
The appeal is aimed at the groups that will later decide whether the Royal Decree-Law survives its parliamentary vote. The package linked to the protest is sometimes called the "Maricarmen decree". It may include automatic rental-contract extensions and further restrictions on evictions.
Moncloa wants to approve the text first and seek parliamentary convalidation afterwards. It does not want the vote to publicly corner rival parties. The reason is simple. Junts may provide enough votes for the decree to pass, but that support may still fall short of what protesters want.
The Government’s estimate for the Madrid demonstration was 25,000 participants, while organisers claimed as many as 300,000. The tenants’ union had announced a route from Puerta del Sol to Congress via Cibeles and Neptuno, signalling that the mobilisation was aimed directly at the central institutions.
The numbers show the dispute clearly. The Government counted 25,000 participants. Organisers claimed as many as 300,000. The tenants' union had planned a route from Puerta del Sol to Congress through Cibeles and Neptuno. The route put pressure on the central institutions.
For Moncloa, the political margin is narrow. A decree that reaches the Council of Ministers but fails in Parliament would expose the limits of the Government's support. A decree passed with Junts could also anger demonstrators who want relief from the housing crisis, not another parliamentary negotiation.
Spanish media have described Junts as a potentially decisive force in Congress. Its position now sits at the center of the decree's prospects.
Sánchez has also used the dispute to attack Ayuso and the PP's housing policies. In his speech, he referred to allegations surrounding the purchase of a home for Ayuso. He questioned Alberto Feijóo's position as well. Sánchez presented the Madrid president and the national opposition as part of the political fight over housing.
The attack protects the central Government on another front. The Sol protest was not aimed only at regional authorities. By confronting Ayuso and the PP while promising action for Maricarmen Abascal, Sánchez is trying to shift responsibility for the housing crisis toward his opponents.
The political opening is real. The harder question is what comes next. Moncloa must win parliamentary support and convince protesters in Madrid that the response is more than a public promise.
Its dependence on Junts leaves the decree exposed in two places: Parliament and the street. That is the risk.
