Star Metro - Spanish PM begins vote campaign overshadowed by housing protests

When 87-year-old Madrid pensioner Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her home two weeks ago, no one could have expected Spain was headed for upheaval that would bring forward a general election scheduled for 2027.

The eviction of Abascal, who became the face of the country's chronic housing crisis, catalysed nationwide protests that piled pressure on Sanchez's left-wing coalition to present urgent decrees.

But after the minority government failed to pass its measures in parliament, Sanchez rolled the dice and called an election for November 29.

Sanchez, in power since 2018, has acquired international prominence in recent years as his clashes with US President Donald Trump and Israel endeared him to disillusioned global progressives.

He is a divisive figure at home and trails in most polls to the main conservative Popular Party (PP).

At his rally Saturday, Sanchez vowed to strengthen legislation protecting tenants against "real estate speculation" if his party wins an absolute majority.

"Maricarmen and all those who campaign for her, as well as all those who take action for the just cause of housing, have opened the way," he said, voicing his "affection" for Abascal, who died on Wednesday in hospital.

- Wages, pensions, housing -

Sanchez chose the symbolic location of Dos Hermanas, a commuter town outside the southern city of Seville and a historic Socialist stronghold, to kick off his electioneering.

He launched his 2023 election campaign from Dos Hermanas and went on to thwart the predictions by retaining office, even though the PP won more seats.

Dos Hermanas was also the scene of Sanchez's political resurrection after he resigned as Socialist party leader in 2016, following two bruising general election defeats.

As Sanchez began his rally, Isabel Morales, a 67-year-old pensioner in the crowd, told AFP she viewed his term in office as "very positive".

"He's done a lot of things for the working class. He raised wages, raised pensions, enacted a housing law, a lot of things that are extremely positive. Let's hope he continues," she said.

- Conservatives on the offensive -

PP leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo was also rallying his followers on Saturday, in Madrid. He has his sights set on becoming prime minister after failing to form a government in 2023.

"Spain needs a future and he (Sanchez) needs to be in the past," Feijoo told a rally in Madrid on Sunday. "We are proposing a total change."

The PP leader, who tops most polls, has focused his criticism on the government's handling of a migration crisis in Ceuta, where he held an event on Wednesday promising to restore normality.

More than 70,000 migrants streamed into the Spanish north African enclave from neighbouring Morocco in late July. Thousands have remained for months in largely chaotic conditions, sparking anger among locals.

Yet the polls suggest Feijoo is unlikely to achieve a majority, which could make far-right party Vox, parliament's third-largest force, a kingmaker in hypothetical coalition talks.

Feijoo deserves "a chance", argued Ruben Moscoso, a 31-year-old public-sector worker at the rally.

"We want to pull our country out of the ruin, the corruption, the shady practices that we've been seeing recently," he said.

Housing, long a top public concern, was a topic hanging large over both of Saturday's rallies as hundreds of protesters camped in Madrid's emblematic Puerta del Sol square and in other cities demanding more protection for tenants and affordable prices.

The main unions have called a general strike for November 11 -- the first such stoppage in Spain since 2012 -- to crank up the pressure over housing and wages before the vote.

S.Belanger--SMC