Pedro Sánchez called an early election for 29 November in a televised statement from La Moncloa Palace in Madrid on Monday, 5 October 2026, putting his government’s future in the hands of voters after a defeat in parliament.
The vote had otherwise been due next year. Sánchez, who has been Spain’s prime minister since 2018, said he needed “to renew and broaden the support of the people”.
His decision followed parliament’s rejection of two emergency housing decrees proposed by his government. The measures were intended to reduce evictions and real estate speculation, before right-wing opposition parties combined to block them.
Housing has become a sharp public pressure point. Residents have protested in cities across the country over affordability, while outrage grew after the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid last month.
Sánchez said his goal was “to secure a much broader, progressive majority in parliament”.
The electoral arithmetic is difficult for him. His Socialist Party is trailing in opinion polls, which suggest that a coalition led by the conservative People’s Party and supported by Vox is the most likely outcome.
A coalition involving Vox would bring a far-right party into central government for the first time since democracy returned after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
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