Spain will hold a general election on 29 November after Pedro Sánchez consulted King Felipe VI and began the procedure required by law. The decision will be published in the country's official state bulletin, the BOE. The government ends the legislature without an approved budget, and two housing decrees have failed in Congress.
That is the domestic problem. Sánchez also enters the campaign with a weaker position inside Europe. His disputes with Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu may energise the left. Javier Milei is another source of friction. The People's Party can use the same record to argue that Spain has become isolated.
Housing triggered the election call. Two government decrees collapsed after last-minute talks failed. Junts, the People's Party and Vox were among those opposing them. Corruption cases surrounding Sánchez and the crisis in Ceuta add pressure. The independent news agency EFE confirmed that the snap election will take place on 29 November.
Political scientist Adrián Caballero expects housing to lead the campaign. He does not expect foreign policy to dominate on its own. Sánchez is likely to tie both issues to a wider choice between his camp and the right.
That choice will rest on contrast.
Sánchez can present himself as a European leader who confronts Trump and Netanyahu while defending Gaza. He can also reject the security-focused migration policies gaining support across Europe. The PP can offer another reading: Spain traded influence for autonomy.
The extent of Sánchez's influence in the European Union remains difficult to assess. So do the diplomatic effects of his positions on Israel and Palestine.
The diplomatic cost is real.
Spain's defence of Palestine caused a direct break with Israel. During the Gaza war and the worsening of bilateral relations, the government recalled its ambassador for consultations. Spain has since had no resident ambassador there. In May 2024, Spain withdrew its ambassador in Buenos Aires after Javier Milei attacked the Spanish government and Sánchez's wife. Relations later returned to normal, and Spain appointed a new ambassador.
Those episodes remain part of the campaign debate. Their wider diplomatic effects need to be assessed against records from Spain's Foreign Ministry and the governments involved.
The failed housing package reportedly included a ban on certain evictions and limits on purchases by investment funds. It also included help for buyers, alongside tax breaks for property owners. More than 50 cities were expected to hold protests after the vote. The government treated those protests as a measure of public reaction before the election decision.
That vote exposed a larger weakness. Sánchez does not have a stable majority. His government must seek changing support from regional parties and the opposition.
Foreign policy will still enter the campaign. Sánchez has clashed with Trump over defence spending and tariffs, as well as Gaza. His government has openly rejected the European migration pact, even though Spain will have to apply it during the Ceuta crisis.
The dispute has put him at odds with Giorgia Meloni, whose migration policies have gained wider acceptance in Europe. Tensions also involve Germany and other partners. Madrid wants Catalan to receive official status in the European Union, along with Galician and Basque.
Reports document pressure over migration in Ceuta, but no official document is cited to show that Sánchez formally rejected the pact in the categorical terms used in some political commentary.
Ceuta is another pressure point. At the end of July, the Spanish enclave faced what reports described as an unprecedented influx from Morocco. Tens of thousands of people crossed the border. The government later classified the situation as being of national security interest, the first such decision in Spain's democratic history. The PP and Vox criticised the response and questioned the policy of cooperation with Rabat.
The issue also has a legal side. Spain must apply the European migration pact even if the government distances itself politically from parts of it. That obligation gives the domestic criticism a practical edge.
On defence, Moncloa has set Spain apart from NATO plans. The government says Spain can meet its commitment without spending 5% of GDP on defence. Within the alliance, those calculations are not viewed as realistic. Sánchez has also stayed outside most major forums supporting Ukraine.
Ruth Ferrero of the Complutense University of Madrid says geography limits Spain's weight compared with the Baltic and Nordic countries. She told 20minutos that Sánchez enters this election in a weaker international environment than before, as progressive forces lose ground abroad.
Ferrero also sees a possible political benefit. Sánchez could present Spain as a country with its own voice on Gaza and defence. Migration and multilateralism would also feature. She says his opposition to Trump could mobilise progressive voters because Trump is viewed negatively in Spain.
Caballero sees another calculation. In his view, Sánchez called the election because housing offered an chance; foreign policy was not working for him. International issues may stay secondary. Comparisons with Trump could still shape the campaign, as could references to Zohran Mamdani. Attacks on politicians aligned with Milei may also feature.
The European picture is uneven.
Spain is more isolated on migration because it resists the stronger controls favoured by many partners. Ferrero considers Sánchez ahead of a European position that has partly moved towards his stance on Gaza. He has not built enough support to suspend the EU association agreement with Israel. On Ukraine, Spain's distance from eastern and northern European countries is partly geographic rather than purely political.
The election will test whether confrontation can make up for lost diplomatic room. Sánchez still has clear causes for his supporters, including Gaza and migration regularisation. He also opposes Trump. The PP can turn each position into evidence of declining alliances.
He arrives at 29 November as a leader who once sought to project Spain as an international power. Now he relies more on the role of a solitary challenger. That role has produced disputes with Israel and Argentina. It has also brought clashes with Trump and Italy, as well as European partners. The approach has given him a distinct identity among progressive voters.
