Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, has called a snap general election for Sunday, November 29.
The Spanish prime minister confirmed the decision on Monday, October 5, in a statement from La Moncloa following a weekend of talks with ministers and senior PSOE figures, Euro Weekly News reports.
Election campaign begins in November
The result of the election will determine who governs Spain for the next four years; however, forming a government could once again prove difficult if no party wins enough seats to govern alone.
Under Spain’s electoral timetable, an early general election must take place 54 days after the formal publication of the decree, meaning the electoral calendar will begin immediately, with the campaign itself expected to begin on November 13.
Government loses key votes
Sánchez has been under growing pressure to dissolve Parliament after Congress rejected two government housing decrees on Friday. The measures were rejected after PP, Vox and Junts voted against the government’s proposals, highlighting Sánchez’s continued difficulties in maintaining a parliamentary majority and governing a fragmented Congress.
One decree was defeated by 178 votes to 172, and the other by 184 votes to 166, with the proposals including measures affecting vulnerable tenants facing eviction, temporary and room rentals, and protections intended to provide greater stability for some main-home rental contracts. The defeat came as Spain’s housing crisis has sparked protests across the country.
British residents unable to vote
Most British citizens living in Spain will not be able to vote in the election, as residents who have not obtained Spanish citizenship are not eligible to vote in general elections, regardless of whether they live there, own property or pay taxes. The election results could therefore have a direct impact on British residents’ lives, without them having a vote in choosing who governs Spain.
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After the recent invasion of all those doctors and engineers into Ceuta, and the subsequent demonstrations of tens of millions of Spaniards across hundreds of cities, this should be interesting...
By Hart from Lisbon on 06 Oct 2026, 14:57
Never trust politicians and bureaucrats, who know nothing about running businesses or economies, to control large segments of the economy. All that politicians know is how to tax productive people so they can engage in social engineering schemes. One such scheme is the notion that Spain, and Europe, is responsible for housing, feeding, providing healthcare for millions of people who simply decide they want to vacation by walking into a country. And these same politicians somehow engage in the fantasy that people entering countries by the thousands and possibly millions will have no effect on the housing market. Spain and the rest of Europe had no housing problem till politicians decided on an open door policy. What's also surprising is that the people who voted for these same incompetent politicians become perplexed when faced with economic problems arising from disastrous foreign policies.
By Tony from USA on 06 Oct 2026, 20:47