Originally published at The Crux
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Early this week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that there would be a general election in Spain on Nov. 29 this year.
Sánchez’s party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) has been the leader of a coalition since 2023, but a weak one, dependent on the votes of right-wing Catalan pro-independence party Junts.
As such, Sánchez has struggled to get any meaningful policy through the parliament.
This was emphasized following the Maricarmen Abascal scandal that threw an unflattering light on the housing crisis in the country.
An 87-year-old woman, Abascal, was evicted from her home on a stretcher after the block of flats she lived on was purchased by an investment company, which then hiked up the rent, which she was unable to pay.
Such was the outcry that an agreement was eventually struck between Abascal and the company but tragically she died on Tuesday evening this week.
On the back of this scandal, Sánchez tried to get new housing legislation through the parliament but it was blocked by the conservative People’s Party (PP), hard-right Vox, and Junts.
Hence the election.
But this upcoming election is not just crucial for Spain, but also kick-starts an important period for
