Police evicted Maricarmen from her Madrid home on 23 September 2026 after she had lived there for more than 70 years. Pedro Sánchez now says the Government will seek approval for a housing decree on Tuesday.
Police carried out the court order on 23 September 2026. Maricarmen, 87, had lived in the Madrid home for more than 70 years. Protesters gathered outside as officers removed her.
Pedro Sánchez addressed the case at a PSOE rally in Madrid. He said the Government was working against the clock and would approve a housing decree on Tuesday. The measure, he said, should help people facing similar situations.
Maricarmen’s eviction was carried out by police on 23 September 2026 after protests outside the Madrid building where she had lived for more than 70 years.
Reuters reported that the eviction took place despite protests outside the building. The court order went ahead.
For now, the decree remains a promise. No final text has been provided. The Government has not explained how the rules would work or what protections they would contain.
AFP reported that Sánchez called the eviction a social tragedy. He said preventing similar cases required an urgent measure and cooperation between the Government and Parliament.
The president did not say the decree had already been approved. He promised that the Government would seek approval on Tuesday after speeding up its work. Reuters and AFP describe a planned action, not a measure with confirmed legal status.
That distinction matters.
Madrid has also seen public protests over housing. Thousands marched with demands for stronger tenant protection, anti-fraud rules and safeguards against evictions without alternative accommodation, ABC News reported. Maricarmen's case has become one focus of that pressure.
The previous eviction moratorium expired on 31 December 2025. A proposed extension was rejected in Congress by votes from the People’s Party, Vox and Junts, helping explain why the Government is now pursuing a separate decree; its lasting effect would still depend on parliamentary support.
The previous moratorium expired on 31 December 2025. Congress rejected a proposed extension after votes from the People's Party, Vox and Junts. ARA reported that the new anti-eviction decree had not yet entered the formal parliamentary process.
The episode also sits within wider reporting on public responsibility. An earlier Andalusian case involved former officials and public funds. That separate report does not change the facts of Maricarmen's eviction. It does show why a political promise must be kept separate from an adopted measure.
Sánchez has set a deadline and tied it to a specific eviction. The Government says it is moving quickly. The decree is meant to protect people in similar circumstances, but its final content remains unknown.
Tuesday is the first test.
Until approval takes place, the announcement is a promise rather than a housing safeguard. The measure would also face a political test because Sánchez's minority left-wing Government needs support from other parliamentary factions, AFP reported. Its practical effect will depend on the final text and the votes in Parliament.
