00:02A political gamble is underway in Spain.
00:06Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called a snap general election for November 29th,
00:13bringing forward a national vote that was expected next year.
00:17And the timing could hardly be more difficult for Sanchez.
00:21His socialist party is trailing in opinion polls,
00:24while pressure over Spain's housing crisis is growing across the country.
00:30The immediate trigger came after Parliament
00:33lejected housing relief measures proposed by Sanchez's government.
00:37The measures included steps aimed at reducing evictions and tackling real estate speculation.
00:43Right-wing opposition parties joined forces to block the emergency decrees.
00:49And that defeat appears to have accelerated Sanchez's decision to go back to the voters.
00:55In a televised address, Sanchez said that to do more,
00:59his government needed to renew and broaden the support of the Spanish people.
01:04His stated goal is to secure a much broader progressive majority in Parliament.
01:09But the election could be a major political risk.
01:14Housing has become one of Spain's most explosive domestic issues.
01:18In recent weeks, residents have taken to the streets demanding solutions to rising housing pressures.
01:25Public anger intensified after the televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid last month.
01:32That episode became a powerful symbol of the housing crisis.
01:36And now, the political consequences are reaching the national government.
01:41Sanchez has been Spain's Prime Minister since 2018, making him one of Europe's longest-serving leaders.
01:49But his third term has been marked by growing fragmentation among his parliamentary partners.
01:54His government has struggled to pass major legislation, and it has failed to pass a budget since 2023.
02:02Yet, Sanchez has repeatedly managed to survive politically.
02:07Over three successive terms, he has built fragile and sometimes unlikely coalitions,
02:13bringing together forces ranging from the far left to separatist parties on the right.
02:18Now, he is betting that the Spanish electorate will give him a stronger mandate.
02:24But opinion polls suggest a very different outcome could be possible.
02:28The Conservative People's Party, or PP, with support from the far-right Vox Party,
02:34is currently seen as the most likely governing combination.
02:38If that happens, Spain could see a major political shift,
02:43with Vox potentially entering central government for the first time
02:47since Spain returned to democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco.
02:52For Sanchez, this election is therefore about much more than housing.
02:57It is a fight for political survival, a fight over Spain's direction,
03:02and a test of whether his ability to build unlikely coalitions
03:06can once again overcome unfavorable political odds.
03:10Despite the pressure, Sanchez has surprised his critics before.
03:14Now, on November 29th, Spain will decide whether to extend his long political run
03:20or open the door to a new government led by the right.
03:36A India app now.
03:38jetzt
