On Salvados, Gabriel Rufián defended tighter limits on property speculation and addressed his own home ownership. The ERC spokesman said he owns 50% of a house where he does not live.
He was asked whether he had a property rented out, as other Spanish politicians do. Rufián said he did not. He shares ownership of the home with his ex-wife and argued that this does not conflict with the measures he supports.
Rufián argues that housing should not become a source of wealth without limits. He said owning a third property can already amount to speculation.
He supports price caps. His proposals also include higher taxes on empty homes and a higher tax rate on rental income from a third home. Rufián said ERC housing proposals are already on the table but have been blocked.
The Catalan politician accused the PSOE of siding with large owners over vulnerable tenants. Europa Press reported that his criticism centred on that choice. He said the Government had repeatedly chosen the interests of major property owners.
Rufián linked the housing shortage to empty homes kept off the market. In his view, that failure is hurting the left at the ballot box. He called the lack of solutions under Pedro Sánchez one of the Government's outstanding failures during eight years in office.
He has also warned that Sánchez could leave office because of what he called social cowardice. Housing has become a source of pressure within the left-wing majority.
Rufián cited two figures from the programme to make his case. He said 60% of homes bought during the last year were paid for in cash. Just 14% were bought for people to live in.
Those figures point to a market where investment is taking priority over residence, he said. Spanish media reports on the appearance repeated the same numbers.
The figures fit a dispute that has already shaped arguments over evictions and investment funds, as shown by an earlier housing report. Rufián's declared property position gives that argument a personal edge. He says it does not contradict the restrictions he wants.
The appearance came shortly before protests over the housing crisis began after the eviction of Maricarmen. Five people from the progressive camp challenged Rufián through a false mirror during the programme. They also asked whether the left could unite and about the rise of the far right. Immigration came up, as did the Ceuta crisis and corruption.
The housing dispute moved from television to Congress on 2 October. Rufián attacked Junts for refusing to support measures aimed at tenants and linked that refusal to real-estate interests. He said the Government's housing decree included some ERC demands but fell short. He also said he would examine the package down to the last comma.
Rufián was not presenting a new law as an accomplished measure. He was defending proposals he said had been rejected and calling for tougher treatment of funds and large property owners.
His admission makes the argument more personal, but does not settle the political dispute. Rufián wants ownership beyond a second home to face higher costs or restrictions when it fuels speculation.
For people facing high rents and blocked access to ownership, his message is direct. The fight concerns the number of homes available and who controls them.
