Protests held in Spanish cities after tenant measures rejected — France 24

In Madrid and other Spanish cities, tens of thousands of people protested on Saturday over the housing crisis and parliament’s rejection of government measures to support tenants. The day before, lawmakers narrowly voted down two government decrees aimed at strengthening protections for renters, France 24 reports.

Demonstrations in more than 50 cities

The Tenants’ Union, which coordinated the protests, called for demonstrations in more than 50 cities. In Madrid, activists and protesters had remained for about a week in Puerta del Sol, one of the capital’s main tourist squares. Demonstrators set off from several districts of the city and converged on Cibeles Square in central Madrid.

According to the Tenants’ Union, a gap has emerged between what people want and the decisions of political parties, which it called irreparable.

Government decrees rejected

The package of measures provided for the automatic extension of rental contracts after their expiration, as well as restrictions on the eviction of vulnerable tenants. The documents were also aimed against so-called vulture funds — investment companies that buy property at low prices in pursuit of higher returns.

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The Catalan separatist party Junts, whose votes were necessary to pass the decrees, voted against them. The party said the proposed measures lacked proper justification.

The vote was a political setback for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose government does not have a parliamentary majority. After the vote, opposition Conservative People’s Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo called on Sánchez to call elections as soon as possible.

Eviction of an 87-year-old resident

The new wave of protests began after the forced eviction on September 23 of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from an apartment in Madrid where she had lived for about seven decades. According to housing activists, the investment company that purchased the home sought to raise her rent by 275%. Following public outrage, the new property owners agreed that Abascal could return to the apartment at a low rent.

Housing has remained one of the main concerns for Spain’s residents for many years: supply has not kept up with demand, while rents and property prices have risen. According to the Idealista portal, the average cost of rent in the country has nearly doubled over the past decade, while asking prices for housing have increased by about 90%.