Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has announced a snap general election three days after rightwing parties torpedoed the emergency legislation his minority government had put forward in response to growing public anger over the country’s housing crisis, The Guardian reports.
Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, used a televised address to communicate his decision, which had been widely expected.
Announcing on Monday morning that an early general election would be held on 29 November, the prime minister defended his government’s social and humanitarian record in office and admitted it had made mistakes, but insisted it was time to let the Spanish people have their say.
Spain’s Sánchez calls snap election amid national housing crisis – Europe live
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“It’s up to you now,” he said. “A glance at the horizon shows us that the world is in a very complex era of transformation and transition. It’s a time of great tension, of climate emergency, and of social and technological changes – including highly disruptive advances in artificial intelligence. It is, therefore, a time of great dangers, but also – if we know how to seize the moment – of great opportunities. You, the Spanish people, must decide what role you wish to play in this era, and what role you want Spain to play as well.”
Sánchez’s gamble is being seen as a pragmatic move from a seasoned political risk-taker. His minority coalition government with the small, leftwing Sumar alliance, has faced a tough time in parliament since the prime minister secured his return to office by striking a controversial deal with Catalan pro-indepedence parties in the aftermath of the inconclusive general election in July 2023.
