Pedro Sánchez’s Government Faces Make-or-Break Vote Over Housing Decrees

Legislative Deadlock Grips Madrid

Government led by Pedro Sánchez faces a make-or-break vote this Friday, as two critical housing decrees head to the Congress of Deputies. With the Popular Party (PP) leading an opposition bloc that refuses to yield, the administration currently lacks the numbers to prevent the measures from being struck down.

A Sharp Rhetorical Offensive

Minister of Housing Isabel Rodríguez has taken to the floor of Congress to demand action, urging parliamentary groups to show “responsibility” and help “put a wall against the speculation that steals lives.” She framed the proposed measures as a vital “tourniquet on the bleeding of housing.”

The government’s tone has turned increasingly caustic. Rodríguez directly blamed the Popular Party, labeling them “the worst right-wing in all of Europe” and declaring them “disqualified to govern the country.” She further challenged the opposition by stating, “With the people or with the vultures; with the vultures that evict or with the people who suffer,” accusing the PP, Vox, and UPN of abandoning citizens to go to Miami or attend vulture fund congresses. The minister insisted that the government’s ambition “goes far beyond the decree,” framing the debate as a judgment on Spanish democracy itself.

Junts Holds the Balance of Power

The survival of these decrees hinges on the seven seats held by Junts. While the executive has applied intense pressure, the party remains unmoved. Spokesperson Míriam Nogueras dismissed the government’s tactics as “blackmail,” accusing the administration of chasing electoral wins rather than sound policy. She specifically criticized the government for presenting two royal decrees just two days after their approval in the Council of Ministers.

Nogueras argued that the decrees are legally flimsy and would worsen the crisis rather than resolve it. She has demanded that the government pull the current texts entirely to facilitate closed-door negotiations on more substantive legislation. Nogueras claimed that the government’s current proposal allows funds to “continue buying, continue speculating, and continue evicting,” whereas her party’s own draft would have curbed such activity. She further accused Sánchez and Salvador Illa of “feeding a lie” and offering “false hope” to the public.

Fractured Support Across the Chamber

The opposition remains rigid. The Popular Party has confirmed it will vote against both measures, warning they are a “trap” that will hike rental prices and create legal chaos for property owners. Alberto Núñez Feijóo previously characterized the decrees as a “botched job” that would increase rental prices, create legal insecurity for owners, and make it harder for vulnerable people to find housing. Vox has echoed this sentiment, with representative Carlos Hernández Quero accusing the government of relying on “marketing” and slogans, while also drawing a link between the housing crisis and current migration levels. Vox also criticized the government and its partners for using the housing situation to “feed their epic.”

Smaller factions offer a fragmented path forward. While Compromís, Coalición Canaria, and the BNG view the measures as “insufficient,” they have pledged their support. The PNV has adopted a split position, backing the first decree but opposing the second. The PNV signaled frustration that the government waited eight years to act and is now attempting to bypass parliamentary amendments by forcing complex reforms through as decree law. Additionally, spokesperson Maribel Vaquero lamented that, despite the debate, all the proposed measures would ultimately “come to nothing.”

An Uncertain Path to the Vote

Outside the Chamber, hundreds of protesters have gathered, adding pressure to an already volatile atmosphere.

The administration has shown no intent to withdraw the decrees, with Pedro Sánchez stating on X that “this government is not going to take a step back.” However, with the PP, Vox, UPN, and Junts aligned in opposition, the government currently lacks the majority required to pass the legislation. Whether the government can break this impasse before the final vote remains unclear, particularly as the administration has not indicated it will yield to Junts’ demand to withdraw the first decree.

More on this story: Junts Risks Political Survival by Blocking Government Housing Decrees · Spain passes housing decrees after mass protests over eviction