The Moncloa will not withdraw the decrees: "The time has come for the PP, Vox and Junts to retract"

MadridA bucket of cold water for the Spanish government, left-wing parties, and housing rights movements that this Thursday night continue to camp in Puerta del Sol and Plaça Catalunya. Junts demands that Pedro Sánchez's executive withdraw the anti-eviction decree or they will vote against it, but the Moncloa has shut the door on it abruptly: "The progressive coalition government will not withdraw either of the two housing decrees," government sources stated this Thursday night, after learning of the decision by the Junts members.

The standoff, therefore, is served a few hours before the extraordinary plenary session begins in Congress, where a second decree must also be voted on regarding the automatic renewal of contracts and compensation for tenants. In this case, however, in addition to Junts, the PNV will also vote against it, so it was already known that the text would not prosper. In fact, the hopes of the government and left-wing formations were placed on the first decree with protection measures for the vulnerable, but also tax incentives for owners.

"The time has come for the PP, Vox, and Junts to retract and demonstrate whether, in terms of housing, they are with the citizenry or with the speculators. With the middle and working classes or with the elites," stated sources from the Spanish government after the decision by the Junts members. In this way, the Moncloa not only puts the three parties in the same bag but also maintains pressure on Carles Puigdemont's party: "Spain can no longer wait. It needs solutions and a brave housing policy," they defend from the Spanish government. At the Moncloa, they do not accept Junts' challenge. In fact, they defend the decrees and their measures: "They are effective in curbing speculation, focusing on vulture funds [...] and stopping evictions without putting small owners at risk."

"Withdrawing the decree would mean withdrawing the rights that are today published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) from many citizens [...] I believe that between now and tomorrow [Friday] Junts can reflect that the best thing is for us to be able to continue with the processing and development of this decree," said the Secretary of State for Housing, Leire Iglesias, in statements to RNE.

General strike?

The arguments of the Spanish government, however, have not convinced the leadership of Junts, which shares the concern of employers' associations and sector lobbies, such as the Chambers of Property of Catalonia, regarding the laws of the Spanish government, starting with the lack of protection for small property owners. In fact, it is not the first time that Junts has turned its back on policies of this nature. This time, however, social pressure on the streets had escalated following the eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old resident of Madrid. Her case is precisely what drove the Spanish government to approve the two decrees.

The Tenants' Union has not ruled out that this could trigger a general strike. For the moment, a demonstration is scheduled for this Friday in front of Congress. Amid this context of social tension, there are those who also point to a "turning point" and an early state election. "If [Junts] carry out their threat, elections," defended the deputy spokesperson for Más Madrid in the Assembly, Emilio Delgado.

"They have 12 hours to reflect on whether they do not want to be responsible, along with PP and Vox, for people continuing to be evicted," pointed out Sumar's housing spokesperson, Alberto Ibañez, in statements to the Cadena SER this Thursday night. Ibañez also anticipated that they are talking to other parties to hold a public roll-call vote, that is, deputy by deputy, in Congress: "This decision to vote against cannot come for free for them. Junts deputies must bear the cost," he asserted.

The Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has also spoken out through the social network X, as is customary. Puente, however, did not point directly at the Junts members: "If the decrees had not been broken up, there would have been doubt as to whether Junts would have reached the point of approving any measure separately. Now there are none left. Therefore, those who argued: 'one decree and let them retract' failed once again. Now they have indeed retracted, and for real," said Puente. This week, left-wing parties, especially Podemos, have been critical of the PSOE for having decided to approve a second decree with the automatic extension of contracts (so-called indefinite contracts) and compensation for tenants. Podemos, for example, has accused the government of "cheating".