Sánchez weighs snap election after housing defeat in Congress
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Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considering calling an early general election, a move prompted by the defeat of his government's housing decrees. The loss was delivered by an unlikely alliance of the right-wing opposition and the Catalan separatist party Junts, an 'irreconcilable majority' that has left the legislative session in a state of paralysis. Within his own party, officials are divided on whether to fight for new measures or go to the polls now, believing a high progressive turnout is the only way to block a PP and Vox coalition.
The political standoff is being met with a street-level one. Protests have spread to over 50 cities as tenants react to the parliamentary deadlock, while a survey suggests even right-wing voters would now support a general strike over housing. With a deficit of 750,000 homes and a shortage of workers to build them, the government's legislative defeat ensures that rising inflation and scarcity will continue to dictate rental prices.
Tragedy struck Albacete as severe flooding in Madrigueras killed one person and forced 90 rescues from inundated homes. In La Rioja, emergency services worked to free 30 people trapped after a bar collapsed, an accident that left 11 injured. Meanwhile, the national weather agency warns that a strengthening El Niño phenomenon is likely to extend extreme climate conditions until 2027.