The eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid has reopened a fight over housing inside Pedro Sánchez's government. Junts and Podemos are negotiating again as ministers prepare the possible decreto Maricarmen.
On Tuesday, Spain's Council of Ministers plans to approve the so-called decreto Maricarmen. The proposal follows the eviction of an 87-year-old tenant in Madrid. Pedro Sánchez now needs support from Junts and Podemos for a measure that still lacks guaranteed backing in Congress.
Maricarmen was due to lose her home in the Retiro district after she could not pay the €2,600 demanded by the vulture fund that owned the property. She remains in hospital while she waits for somewhere to live. Hundreds of neighbours opposed the eviction. A heavy police deployment turned the case into a national political crisis within hours. Reuters and The Guardian reported that the eviction took place on 23 September 2026 amid clashes between protesters and police.
Maricarmen had lived in the Madrid apartment for more than 70 years before police carried out the eviction on 23 September 2026.
Protesters later went to the controversial penthouse acquired by the Community of Madrid. The Government blamed Isabel Díaz Ayuso for the eviction. The PP replied that PSOE and Sumar had spent seven years in government without solving the country's biggest social problem. Pedro Sánchez called the case a tragedy. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez told Congress that it showed the effects of unchecked speculation and policies favourable to vulture funds.
The political shock reopened a space that had been closing for months.
Sumar has repeatedly pushed PSOE to adopt stronger housing measures. Its ministers even walked out of a Council of Ministers meeting. They called for the expropriation of Maricarmen's flat. Félix Bolaños rejected that option and mocked the idea by invoking Hugo Chávez's famous expression ¡exprópiese! Reports cited by Reuters and Spanish media say the rent rose from roughly €500 to between €1,650 and €2,600 a month, depending on the account.
The case unfolded against a broader eviction crisis: court-statistics reports recorded 4,005 evictions in Spain during the first quarter of 2026. Madrid’s city government said it had previously offered Maricarmen different housing options, including during earlier eviction attempts, a claim reported by Euronews.
Behind the public clash sits an electoral calculation. Sumar wants to separate itself from PSOE while facing competition on its left from Irene Montero. Moncloa sources say proposals such as expropriation cannot work and mainly give Sumar more political room. Few people in government appear to believe that Sumar will leave the coalition over the dispute.
Ada Colau has used the case to regain political visibility. The former mayor of Barcelona and one-time leader of the anti-eviction movement has offered to lead the Frente Amplio. The group would replace Sumar after Sumar replaced Unidas Podemos. Colau has also urged Sumar ministers to quit the Government unless PSOE accepts tougher action against housing speculation and vulture funds.
Junts made the unexpected move. For almost a year, the party had said it would not sit down with Pedro Sánchez and that the legislature was finished. It has now returned to the negotiating table. Moncloa describes that return as the real tectonic shift behind the housing dispute.
The change came as reports suggested that Puigdemont could return soon after a Constitutional Court ruling. Government sources do not link the two developments. The available information does not show that one caused the other. Junts is again discussing measures that could decide whether the planned decree survives its passage through Congress.
Podemos is under pressure too. Government sources say the case shook the conscience of parties that failed to approve legislation capable of preventing similar abuses. They expect Junts to face pressure to support measures that would benefit a majority of tenants. At the same time, Podemos is being pushed away from proposals considered impossible to implement. Reuters and AFP reported that the incident quickly became a national symbol of Spain's housing crisis and increased pressure on the Government.
For Sánchez, the timing is favourable. The Government faces its most difficult autumn since he became prime minister. The Ceuta crisis remains open. Corruption allegations appear every week. The pre-election atmosphere is becoming more charged. A housing decree named after Maricarmen could give the coalition some political relief. That depends on whether negotiators reach an agreement.
Moncloa is not claiming victory. Its representatives describe the negotiations as difficult but active. Proposals are moving between the parties, and a possible middle ground remains under discussion. The changed political climate may make an agreement easier. It does not settle the disputes over the decree's content or guarantee enough votes in Congress.
The gap is now plain. Years of promises offered little protection to a vulnerable tenant facing a €2,600 monthly demand from a vulture fund. The planned decree may calm the coalition and bring Junts back to negotiations. Its real test will be whether it prevents similar abuses. Until the measure is approved and backed in Congress, Maricarmen's case is political pressure, not a housing solution.
