Spain's housing crisis has moved to the centre of a snap general election campaign, after the death of an 87-year-old woman evicted from her Madrid home became a rallying point for mass protests across the country.
María del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, died in hospital on Wednesday 7 October, two weeks after she was removed on 23 September from the flat she had lived in for 70 years. According to reporting, her rent had risen by 275% to 2,650 euros a month. She was taken to hospital in a state of exhaustion after the eviction. An agreement had reportedly been reached with the property-owning company to allow her to return, but she died before she could go back.
Her death prompted vigils and marches. On Thursday, thousands walked from Puerta del Sol, the central Madrid square that has become the hub of the housing protest movement, to her former home, carrying her portrait and a funeral wreath. Many marched in silence, and candles and flowers were left at a makeshift memorial. A similar demonstration took place in Barcelona on Friday. Protesters there blamed property lobbies for her death, and one student said Abascal had achieved something rare: uniting a divided country. Trade unions have called a general strike for 11 November to press for action on housing and wages.
The political fallout has been swift. The Socialist-led government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez had tried to introduce measures to protect tenants and freeze rents, but Parliament rejected them. The conservative opposition argues the answer lies in easing regulations and building more homes, rather than capping rents. Sánchez has since called an early election for 29 November. Analysts cited by Al Jazeera say he hopes to galvanise support while under pressure over immigration and corruption investigations involving his party. Two recent polls suggest the right-wing People's Party and the far-right Vox are on course for a combined majority.
Why this matters: Spain, like many European countries, has seen housing shortages and rising rents squeeze renters, especially younger people and pensioners. Abascal's case has come to symbolise, in the words of one El País commentary, the failure of the promise of security that was once associated with a lifetime of work. Whether public anger translates into votes for the governing Socialists, or instead strengthens their opponents, remains an open question that the campaign will test.