Spanish woman whose eviction sparked protests dies before snap election

Maricarmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her longtime Madrid home ignited nationwide protests over housing costs, has died, the Madrid Tenants’ Union said Wednesday. Her death comes as unions prepare a general strike and Spain heads toward an early election called after the government failed to pass emergency housing measures.

Abascal was carried out on a stretcher on September 23 from the apartment where she had lived for more than 70 years. She had been hospitalized since the eviction. The company that owned the flat later offered to let her return at a lower rent, but she was unable to sign an agreement while in hospital, the BBC reported.

“We regret to announce that Maricarmen passed away today,” the Madrid Tenants’ Union said. It called her case “a turning point in the history of this country,” while saying the cost of reaching that point had been “too high.”

Abascal’s father first rented the apartment in 1956, and she remained there after her parents died. Her rent had been capped, but a legal glitch allowed the landlord, investment company Urbagestión, to raise it from €500 to €2,650 a month, according to the BBC. The rent was later lowered to €1,650, still €300 more than her monthly pension. Courts had blocked three earlier attempts to evict her.

Al Jazeera reported that an international investment fund bought the building and raised her rent by more than 200% to roughly $1,880 a month. It said the increase was aimed at pushing out the longtime tenant to make way for more lucrative tourist apartments.

Protesters gathered at Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square after her death was announced. The square has hosted a protest encampment for two weeks. Tens of thousands of people took to streets across Spain over the weekend after lawmakers rejected the government’s emergency housing legislation.

“While a historic agreement was reached that would have allowed her to return to her home, this solution has come too late,” the tenants’ union said. It called the outcome “an absolutely avoidable situation after a torturing process” and pledged to honor Abascal’s request to “fight, keep fighting for what is yours.”

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez offered condolences to Abascal’s family and loved ones. “A hug as well to everyone who today feels this loss as their own,” he said.

Earlier Wednesday, the Workers’ General Union and Workers’ Commissions, Spain’s two largest unions, announced plans for a nationwide general strike on November 11 to demand housing reforms. Other unions still needed to ratify the date, Al Jazeera reported. If it goes ahead, it will be the first general strike jointly backed by the two organizations in 14 years.

Spain faces a shortage of about 750,000 homes that is projected to exceed one million by 2028, according to Bank of Spain figures cited by Al Jazeera. The average monthly rent of €1,176 amounts to about 98.7% of a young person’s average monthly salary, according to Youth Council of Spain figures cited by the outlet.

Sánchez called the November 29 election on Monday after his minority coalition failed to get the housing legislation through Congress. He said he needed “a broader progressive majority” to “overcome the resistance of the elites.” Opponents on the political right argued that government intervention would reduce the number of homes available to rent and push prices higher. Polls suggest the conservative Popular Party will finish first but would need support from the hard-right Vox party to govern.