Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announces snap election

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced a snap general election after parliament rejected housing relief measures proposed by his minority government.

Sanchez said on Monday that the vote would take place on November 29.

“We need to renew people’s support,” he said in a televised address.

“We need to mobilise and win a much larger progressive majority in parliament, one that will allow us to overcome vested interests, deliver new social advances and continue transforming Spain.”

He also acknowledged having made mistakes and falling short of previous campaign promises.

“I also know that part of that social majority is dissatisfied today,” he said.

The government’s defeat in parliament on Friday was the latest in a series of political setbacks for the centre-left leader and was followed by mass protests across the country over the housing crisis.

The Spanish government said over 70,000 protesters took part in a housing protest in the capital, Madrid on Saturday.

Anger had been building since late last month, when an 87-year-old woman, Marai del Carmen Abascal, was evicted from her home of 70 years in Madrid after an international investment fund bought her building and increased the rent.

But facing the electorate is a risky move for Sanchez. Opinion polls suggest that a coalition led by the conservative People’s Party (PP), with support from the far-right Vox party, is the most likely outcome in the election.

If they win, it would be the first time since the death of dictator Francisco Franco that a far-right party has entered central government.

If Sanchez loses the election, it would also mark the end of one of Europe’s last left-leaning governments as the far right continues to gain ground across the continent.

Sanchez has stood out worldwide for his strong stance on progressive ideas, from defending the rights of Palestinian people to defending multilateral institutions and cracking down on tech oligarchs.

The prime minister, who has never won enough votes to form a majority government, has brought together a series of fragile and seemingly impossible coalitions, ranging from the far left to the separatist right, to remain in power for three successive terms, lasting eight years.

The next election had been scheduled for next year before Sanchez brought it forward.