Police evicted Maricarmen, an 87-year-old wheelchair user, this week from the Madrid apartment where she had lived for seventy years. Her final bid to stop the eviction failed. Her removal has become a rallying point in a political storm threatening to split Spain’s governing coalition.
As police carried out the eviction in the Retiro district, Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez García called it "a very dramatic day." She blamed unchecked speculation and laws favoring property investors over residents, directing criticism at the regional government led by Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Rodríguez accused the Community of Madrid of refusing to regulate the market and siding with speculators. Independent Spanish media reported this was the fourth and final attempt to evict Maricarmen. Police and large groups of supporters were at the scene.
After the change of ownership, Maricarmen’s rent reportedly rose from around 500 euros to between 1,650 and 2,650 euros per month, depending on the source, independent Spanish media reported. The eviction prompted mass solidarity actions, with hundreds gathering outside her home on Alcalde Sáinz de Baranda street. Police cordoned off the area and removed protest tents. Government delegate Fran Martín called the eviction 'deeply unjust and unacceptable.'
But the government’s own allies in parliament quickly turned the blame back on the PSOE. Ernest Urtasun, Minister of Culture, demanded immediate action from the Socialists. He said a decree extending rental protections and an eviction moratorium could have stopped Maricarmen’s removal. Urtasun called the investment fund that owns the building "a real disgrace" and said the event marked a "turning point."
Pablo Bustinduy, Minister of Social Rights, echoed the criticism, blaming parties that blocked the anti-eviction moratorium in Congress. Sumar’s parliamentary spokesperson, Verónica Barbero, urged the PSOE to treat the housing crisis as urgent and pass emergency measures. Reports from El Español and ElDiario said the Ministry of Housing had formally asked both the Madrid city council and the regional government to intervene and stop the eviction. The appeals were ignored.
Inside the government, the dispute sharpened. Sira Rego, Minister of Youth and Children, said every level of government must accept its share of responsibility. She also questioned whether property rights should take precedence in cases like this. Patxi López, the Socialist spokesperson, defended the Ministry’s actions, saying both the Community and the City of Madrid had ignored its proposals. He blamed the Partido Popular.
The eviction has exposed the vulnerability of Spain’s elderly and disabled tenants, along with deep divisions within the ruling bloc. The ERC’s spokesperson warned that the housing crisis could bring down the government if it remains unresolved.
At the center of the crisis is a failed attempt to reach a deal with the company that owns the building. The company refused to put housing’s social value ahead of profit, while the government could not secure enough parliamentary support for stronger tenant protections. Disagreements among coalition partners left Maricarmen with no way out.
The forced removal of an 87-year-old woman after seventy years in her home has made the cost of political inaction clear. Each side’s blame of the other reflects a government at a standstill when action is needed. Unless Spain’s leaders set aside their differences and pass real protections for vulnerable tenants, cases like Maricarmen’s could deepen public mistrust and put the coalition’s hold on power at risk.
