"I approached him to tell him that Aliança will eat them up"

MadridMiriam Nogueras picks up the green folder. It is quarter past one, she has finished the speech where she confirms the no of the party and steps down from the podium. As she returns to her seat, Aina Vidal, a deputy for the commons, says something to her, visibly indignant. She is wearing a yellow t-shirt that reads: "Catalunya is not CiU". Four hours later, the failure of the first housing decree is confirmed. Minister Bustinduy turns towards the Popular Party bench. He encourages them to applaud with their hands; he is telling them, with the gesture, to celebrate it, that what has happened is their merit. And they respond and applaud loudly. Nogueras looks at her phone. A group throws papers from the guests' gallery, shouting "Vulture funds govern the Congress". They resonate inside the building, and also outside, where housing movements have been protesting since early morning. Lara is there, megaphone in hand, repeating slogans like "It is the struggle, the only way". I approach her when she hands the device to a colleague, and she explains to me that she joined the union a year ago, that she has been sleeping in the square for days, and that her salary is barely enough, barely enough, to pay for a flat of just over 40 square meters with her partner. "Do you believe that by mobilizing you will really make the parties change their position?", I ask her. "It's the only way, for sure", she replies. I go back into the chamber and in the second conversation I catch in the hallway, one can hear: "Do you see it or not?" It is evident what they are talking about. It is the question that has been asked since early morning, what the journalists, advisors, and politicians who circulate through the chamber are commenting on. Outside, the word is struggle; inside, on the other hand, elections.

"Could you please bring order to your country?", says a journalist to a reporter for this newspaper as she enters the press booth that ARA has in Congress. "Will they really maintain the no?", many press colleagues ask. The decision of Puigdemont's party has caught them off guard. It is just past eleven when the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, takes the floor. It is not exactly clear how many people are listening to her among those looking at their mobile phones, computers, or talking to the person next to them. Nogueras is one of those rereading the speech and checking her phone. From the gallery, the flood of messages she receives is clearly visible. One after another. "What do the vulture funds offer you to be with them and not with the people?", the minister asks her. She does not look, she makes notes on the paper. When it is her turn, she accuses the government of thinking about headlines, and the partners, about elections. I count few deputies with the earpiece; they must understand Catalan very well. Outside, the protesters shout: "This is for Maricarmen!" A few minutes earlier, Junts published a campaign on X where they talk about Francisca, Rosa Maria, and Assumpció, and where they say that their vote is explained by them, people whose tenant has stopped paying rent. The debate continues and Rufián (ERC) takes out a banknote and keys and says that this is about money or rights, the PP insists on the elections, and Patxi López (PSOE) speaks of rights or the right-wing, in a phrase that resonates like an electoral slogan. And, finally, Sánchez appears, who has been absent for practically the entire debate, to take the floor and tell the groups to forget about political calculations. The laughter is loud on the opposition benches, which enjoy it, aware that these could be the hours before an electoral call.

"172 votes in favor and 178 against, the session is adjourned," says Francina Armengol. Outside, the chanting continues. "A rent strike is needed now, a general strike is needed now," they repeat, visibly indignant. And there is shouting, literally, inside as well. "Go out to the street and laugh like you're laughing, you shameless person!" a Sumar deputy shouts at another from Vox. Nogueras watches from a distance, heading out to the hallways while talking on her mobile phone. It is the best way to avoid questions when you do not feel like answering. In the Congress courtyard is Aina Vidal. "You said something to him, right?" I ask her. "Yes, I approached him to tell him that Aliança will eat them up." The police cordon prevents the politicians from crossing paths directly with the protesters who remain at Congress. One of them is a few meters away, observing them with a serene, yet grave, expression. His name is Luis, he is about to turn 80, he is a property owner and has been in front of the building for hours. "Did you come to support the protesters?" I ask him. "Actually," he says, "I came with the hope of being able to speak with someone from Junts. I want to ask them why they did it."