Briefing
The Congress of Deputies in Madrid failed on 2 October 2026 to ratify either of the two Real Decreto-ley on housing policy submitted by the cabinet with the required majority. The vote ended with a majority against, comprising Junts, Partido Popular and Vox; the decrees therefore immediately lose their legal effect. One of the measures concerned was the Real Decreto-ley 26/2026 of 29 September, which provided, among other things, for temporary protections against evictions and measures to increase the supply of affordable housing.
The government had justified the decrees as urgent, so that temporary rules could apply until ordinary legislation could be passed. Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez defended the texts in the plenary session and urged Junts to vote in favour or abstain; she pointed out that many of the Catalan party’s demands had been incorporated into the wording. President Pedro Sánchez made a personal appeal to MPs not to let the measures fail. These efforts at mediation were unsuccessful.
According to media reports, several thousand people protested outside Congress; human rights and tenants’ organisations warn that without the planned transitional provisions, pending cases could again lead to more evictions. Representatives of the social-policy camp stressed that the decrees would have strengthened immediate protection for particularly vulnerable households; right-wing opposition parties called for early elections after the vote. In the Moncloa options including an early election date are reportedly under discussion.
The legal and parliamentary consequence is that the specific measures in the expired decree package will not come into force. The government and opposition groups said they would continue the debate: some smaller groups declared themselves open to negotiations on a new legislative proposal, while others are insisting on early elections. The next steps will depend on whether the government can secure a parliamentary majority for a revised, ordinary legislative bill.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).