Ayuso, regarding the Maricarmen case: "For every eviction in Madrid, there are five in Catalonia"

MadridThe eviction of Maricarmen, an 87-year-old resident of Madrid who uses a wheelchair, has sparked controversy across the country. The woman's case has become symbolic due to her vulnerability, and the protests, which gathered in front of her building this Wednesday to try to prevent her from being thrown out of her home, have had political repercussions. In general, administrations and parties have been passing the buck to one another, pointing fingers at those responsible. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, for example, pointed directly at the Madrid president, whom he said is more concerned "with buying penthouses". This Thursday, Isabel Díaz Ayuso responded by saying that she does not believe Maricarmen's case is extraordinary: "It is one of the 25,000 [evictions] that occur every year".

"They are trying to dehumanize and harass us," Ayuso said in a speech before the Business Circle. In fact, she did not hesitate to talk about Catalonia again to point out that, even though she is being criticized, "for every eviction that occurs in Madrid, there are five in Catalonia." According to data from the Judiciary, 25,540 "launches" (evictions) were actually carried out in 2025, of which 6,814 were in Catalonia (26.7%). In the Community of Madrid, 2,267 were carried out (8.9%), which is three times less. However, Madrid has one million fewer inhabitants than Catalonia and an 8% higher average net income per household, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE).

"Yesterday we saw a shocking event: how an 87-year-old person was evicted, without a soul. The blindness, the greed for money, which tramples on an 87-year-old person. This is not the model of society we want. We, the institutions, are here to combat this, at least the Catalan ones," reacted the President of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, this Thursday. Earlier, on Catalunya Ràdio, his spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, had accused Ayuso of "lying" and reminded her that in the last quarter 43 evictions have been stopped in Catalonia, while in Madrid only 7. "She generates fake news to hide her own shame," said the minister.

The right to housing

In the month of June, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Koldo Casla, had already spoken out about Maricarmen's eviction. Now he has done so again, 24 hours after the execution of the eviction order, putting Spanish law in the spotlight: "The case highlights that currently, Spanish legislation does not guarantee an individualized proportionality analysis," he denounces. "It is incomprehensible that the profitability of a real estate investment takes precedence over the right to housing of an 87-year-old woman who receives a 1,300 euro pension and has lived in a house for 70 years," added Casla in a brief statement to the media.

The United Nations rapporteur recalls that the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights had already requested precautionary measures to temporarily suspend Maricarmen's eviction. "The judge should have done so to avoid irreparable harm [...]. Procedural legislation requires an amendment," points out Casla, who recalls that until there is a "viable and fair" housing alternative offered by the corresponding city council or autonomous community, "any eviction that could leave someone on the street should be stopped." The Ombudsman has also demanded "urgent measures" from the administrations and public authorities to prevent the evictions of vulnerable people.

Sumar demands the expropriation of the apartment

Meanwhile, Sumar, the minority partner in the Spanish government, is once again pressuring the PSOE to immediately approve—at next week's Council of Ministers—a decree on housing that includes a moratorium on evictions for vulnerable people and puts a stop to situations like the one experienced in Madrid, but also in other parts of the State. In fact, the housing decree was already supposed to be approved before the summer, but due to a lack of support in Congress, the government left it for September.

Pedro Sánchez's executive must negotiate with its investiture partners, especially Junts (which rejected the last decree that included anti-eviction measures), if it wants the regulation to move forward. Sources from Junts explain that negotiations are underway and that a document with the concrete measures they would be willing to approve was delivered by hand to Pedro Sánchez two weeks ago. The ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, believes it is a "mistake" to accept the "blackmail" of Junts and allow Míriam Nogueras's party to "set the limits." The republican demands that it be the Moncloa and the left-wing partners who "impose" the measures: "And if they don't want to vote for it, let them show their true colors and continue to sink in the polls," he said on X.

As a matter of urgency, Sumar demands that Maricarmen's apartment be expropriated from its current owner, the investment fund Urbagestión Desarrollo e Inversión SL, and also calls for a package of measures to freeze rents, as stated by the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz; the head of Children and Youth, Sira Rego; and the Minister of Social Rights, Pablo Bustinduy, through social media. 24 hours after the eviction, Maricarmen remains in the hospital and will be on the ward for a few days, where she will remain under observation following the stress she has endured over the last few days.

This was the fourth attempt to force her out of her home. The investment fund proposed a rent increase to 1,650 euros, which the resident of the Madrid neighborhood of Retiro could not afford: she has a pension of 1,350 euros and until now was paying 500 in rent, because she had an old rent contract. Despite attempts at negotiation, the fund had remained firm and rejected any agreement, even one from an anonymous person who wanted to cover the rent. For the moment, the resident has spent the night in a hospital and the Madrid City Council has assured that it has an "emergency place" for her in a residence. The investment fund has filed a lawsuit against the Tenants' Union for violation of the right to honor, among other things, because they have labeled it "a vulture fund." The union, from which they are demanding 10,000 euros, has already said that it has no intention of retracting its statement.