Spanish election: How bad is the housing crisis?  – POLITICO

Spain will grind to a halt in its first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, just weeks before voters head to the polls in a snap election. At the center of both the strike and vote, one issue looms especially large: unaffordable housing.

Anger over the crisis boiled over in September, following the eviction of an elderly woman from the Madrid home in which she had lived since 1956. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in nationwide protests, prompting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to submit a long-delayed housing bill to the Spanish parliament. When lawmakers rejected the legislation, he decided to send voters to the polls. 

“Every generation has its struggle,” Sánchez said during a rally shortly after calling the snap vote. “Ours is housing, and we will solve it, backed by the strength of the people.”