Saturday's protest in Madrid followed the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal. Thousands gathered in Puerta del Sol, where some protesters also set up a camp. Reuters and AP reported that organisers planned to keep it there until the Government’s Tuesday meeting, when officials were expected to consider the new housing package.
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, including a ban on evictions without alternative housing, while also demanding action against rental fraud. Reuters and AP reported tens of thousands of participants, but the final count remains politically disputed.
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 argued that backing the measure was a matter of humanity and should transcend party 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, then seek parliamentary convalidation. It does not want to put rival parties on the spot publicly. Junts may provide enough votes for the decree to pass, but that support may still fall short of what protesters want.
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, putting 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 and an outcome beyond 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 also questioned Alberto Feijóo's position. 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 also put the central government in its sights, alongside 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 goes beyond a public promise.
Its dependence on Junts leaves the decree exposed in two places: Parliament and the street.
