MADRID — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called an early election for 29 November 2026 after his government failed to secure parliamentary backing for emergency housing legislation. The decision followed the death of María del Carmen Abascal, an 87-year-old pensioner who died while hospitalized on October 7, 2026.

Congress of Spain rejected the emergency housing legislation last week, prompting the political crisis. The People's Party, the Vox party, and the Junts party voted against the emergency housing measures, leaving the government without the necessary support to pass the reforms.

The Madrid Tenants' Union announced Abascal's death in a statement, confirming that the pensioner had passed away following her eviction from her apartment on 23 September 2026. "We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today," the Madrid Tenants' Union said in a statement.

Abascal had lived in the apartment for more than 70 years, with her father first renting the property in 1956. Police forcibly removed Abascal from her apartment on a stretcher during the eviction. Three previous attempts to evict Abascal were blocked by the courts before the final removal.

The real estate company Urbagestión bought the property in 2018 and subsequently increased Abascal's monthly rent from €500 to €2,650. Urbagestión later offered to reduce Abascal's rent to €1,650 per month, but the reduced rent offer of €1,650 was €300 more than Abascal's monthly pension. The Madrid Tenants' Union stated that a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed Maricarmen to return to her home, but the solution came too late because Abascal was unable to sign the return agreement because she had been admitted to hospital.

Following the announcement of Abascal's death, protesters gathered at Puerta del Sol in Madrid. Hundreds marched to parliament chanting "the struggle continues, Maricarmen lives." The Madrid Tenants' Union claimed about 950,000 people took part in demonstrations across Spain over the weekend.

On 26 September, the protests turned into an organized protest camp at the Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, forcing the Spanish government under Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to agree to an emergency relief package including a temporary ban on evictions and stronger protection for tenants. Public discontent on housing had been building up over a scandal involving the controversial purchase of a luxury penthouse by Madrid premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the suicide of an evicted woman in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Olga Matute, earlier in September.

"All my love goes to Maricarmen's family and loved ones," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said. "A hug as well to everyone who today feels this loss as their own," Sánchez said. Opposition People's Party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo sent condolences regarding Abascal's death. "No campaign, no parties, no self-interested exploitation. No more stones in the wall," Alberto Núñez Feijóo said on X. "In the face of a person's death, only respect is in order," Feijóo added.

Sánchez's cabinet approved two new housing decrees intended to maintain the spirit of the previous measures. The new housing decrees include measures such as regulating room rentals, imposing a new tax on seasonal rentals, and prohibiting speculative real estate purchases. Unions called a general strike to take place on 11 November 2026, demanding housing reforms.

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Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez expressed condolences on X, writing: "I deeply lament the death of Maricarmen. My condolences for those who accompanied her and fought by her side until the end." Spain's health minister Mónica García said Abascal's plight had "served to awaken awareness across all of Spain, lighting a fuse that cannot be put out". Podemos MEP Irene Montero wrote on social media: "This isn't a death; it's a murder." Abascal's lawyer Beatriz Duro confirmed the death to Cadena Ser radio but did not disclose the cause.