Congress rejected both housing decrees before Pedro Sánchez announced on Monday 5 October that Spain would hold a general election on Sunday 29 November 2026. The parliamentary defeat has become the country's defining political event.
The Council of Ministers must sign the election decree on the day of the announcement. It must then be published in the Boletín Oficial del Estado on Tuesday. Organic Law 5/1985 on the General Electoral Regime allows 54 days between publication and polling day.
The first housing decree was rejected by 178 votes to 172, while the second fell by 184 votes to 166, the BBC reported.
That timetable puts voters at the ballot box on 29 November. The campaign will start on Friday 13 November and run for 15 days. Saturday 28 November will be the day of reflection, with polling stations opening the next day.
Publication of the decree in the Boletín Oficial del Estado is the formal step that starts the 54-day timetable. The process is already moving quickly.
The immediate trigger was the defeat of the two housing measures. Before the Friday 2 October Congress session, the Government warned that an early election could follow if Junts voted against them. Junts rejected both texts. Sánchez then faced a choice: continue with a blocked parliament or seek a new mandate at the polls.
Xinhua and Catalan News reported that PP, Vox and Junts per Catalunya opposed both decrees. The votes showed that Sánchez lacks a stable majority in Congress.
Moncloa believes the timing could benefit the Government. Its argument is that Sánchez tried to advance policies government sources described as good and bold while facing systematic obstruction in parliament. Those sources also say public anger is on the Executive's side. ABC reported that position.
The BBC reported that the defeated package was designed to address aspects of the housing crisis. It included extending eviction protection for vulnerable tenants until 2030, along with provisions on lease terms and restrictions on some purchases by investment funds.
Parties now face the next formal deadline. Candidate lists must be submitted between 21 and 26 October, giving them less than three weeks after the announcement to complete registration.
The current legislative route is over. Voters now face a compressed election calendar: the decree must be published first, and parties must submit their candidates before the campaign begins on 13 November.
The housing decrees were a failed vote in Congress that brought the national election forward. Sánchez has framed the dispute as a government facing systematic blockage, while opposition parties have forced the political system into a new contest.
Euronews reported that Moncloa had already considered an early election if Junts voted against the package. The announcement was sudden, but the option was not new. Spain now heads toward 29 November on a tightly packed electoral timetable.
