Alberto Núñez Feijóo, chairman of the Partido Popular and the leading candidate in the parliamentary election on 29 November 2026, said on 18 October 2026 in Barcelona announced a legislative package to tackle squatting. At a campaign event at the Palau de Congressos he said there should be “zero tolerance” towards so-called okupas and that evictions should be possible within 48 hours He assigned responsibility for drafting the proposals to Badalona’s mayor and the PP’s lead candidate in Barcelona province, Xavier García Albiol.
Feijóo presented the initiative as part of a broader security agenda. He was quoted as saying: “Fuera en 48 horas, sí o sí” (“Out within 48 hours, one way or another”). He linked the announcement to a call for “maximum protection for honest citizens”. He also said that Catalonia is disproportionately affected by squatting, evictions and crime. These are political assertions; Feijóo did not present any specific current crime or justice statistics in his speech.
Albiol is regarded within the party as a prominent figure on law-and-order and security issues. The former leader of the PP in Badalona has repeatedly campaigned against squatting in the city and called for local measures. Feijóo wants him to present the draft legislation if the necessary majorities can be secured in Congress.
A 48-hour timeframe for evictions would affect existing procedural safeguards under Spanish civil and criminal law. It would concern judicial powers, deadlines and protections for particularly vulnerable people. Whether such a measure could be designed to comply with the Constitution would depend on the precise wording, accompanying social measures and the distinction between criminal offences and civil-law rules protecting possession. Feijóo gave no details of exceptions, procedures, evidential requirements or the authorities responsible.
The initiative is likely to prompt a polarised political debate. Homeowners’ and neighbourhood associations have for years called for faster proceedings against squatting. Social organisations, by contrast, warn against blanket evictions without alternatives for those affected and point to the housing shortage, particularly in Catalonia. During the current parliamentary term, the left-of-centre parties in government have tended instead to focus on clarifying procedures and introducing safeguards for vulnerable households.
The move in Barcelona therefore marks a policy statement by the Partido Popular in the final phase of the election campaign. Whether, and in what form, an anti-squatting law is passed will depend on the balance of power after 29 November 2026 and the willingness to reach legal-policy compromises.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).