Spain PM pins hopes on housing crisis to help win snap election

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his intention to call a snap election for 29 November after a parliamentary defeat. The set of measures he had introduced to improve tenants’ rights and curb rising rents was narrowly rejected, with right‑wing parties voting against the package. The vote confirmed that Sánchez’s left‑wing coalition no longer holds a parliamentary majority. The decision to call the election was not an impulsive reaction but a carefully considered maneuver, coming as Sánchez’s government has faced multiple difficulties in recent months. His Socialist Party is embroiled in corruption investigations involving former senior figures Santos Cerdán and José Luis Ábalos. Additionally, former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is under scrutiny for alleged financial gains from the state‑backed airline bailout; Zapatero denies any wrongdoing. Personal legal troubles also surround Sánchez: his wife, Begoña Gómez, faces proceedings over accusations of misuse of funds and influence peddling, which both she and the prime minister reject. Meanwhile, Sánchez’s administration continues to grapple with the migration situation in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. In July, more than 70,000 migrants arrived suddenly; most have since returned to Morocco across the border, yet the city remains a significant governmental and logistical challenge for the prime minister.