The validation of the anti-crisis royal decree-law on housing matters is seriously complicated in Congress after Junts confirmed this Wednesday in the plenary session of the Lower House its rejection of the text promoted by Sumar.
To pass, the decree-law needs a simple majority. However, Junts' "no" leaves the Executive without one of its key supports and brings closer the scenario that the norm lapses.
The parliamentary spokesperson for the Catalanist party, Miriam Nogueras, harshly criticized the housing decree-law during the appearance of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and called it an “absolute failure”, in addition to being “so badly done” that, in her opinion, it harms small owners and distorts the rental market.
Those of Carles Puigdemont considers that measures such as the limitation of evictions or the mandatory extension of contracts generate adverse effects and has cited Barcelona as an example, where it denounces a 90% drop in rental supply and a 63% increase in prices after the application of the Housing Law.
Rufián anticipates the blockade and raises the tone against Junts
For his part, the ERC spokesperson in Congress, Gabriel Rufián, has taken for granted that Junts will overturn the housing decree. “I am convinced that the housing one will not, because they work for speculators, for vulture funds,” he affirmed before the media in statements collected by Europa Press.
During his intervention in the hemicycle, Rufián accused Junts of “lying” about the content of the decree and predicted a political cost for the pro-independence party if it contributes to overturning the norm.
If it declines thousands of contracts and homes will be left in the air
If the decree is not validated, its measures will automatically lapse and will cease to be applied. Among the main affected would be tenants with contracts in force or close to expiring, especially those who would have benefited from the automatic extension of rents.
Sources from the parliamentary debate itself place the focus on the contracts expiring between March 2026 and the end of 2027, a group that could reach hundreds of thousands of households in Spain, depending on the rotation of the rental market.
Also, the additional limitations on certain evictions would be rendered ineffective, which would impact families in vulnerable situations who hoped to avail themselves of these temporary protections.
Block of rejection?
In parliamentary terms, Junts' position is decisive. Without their votes, the Government would find it very difficult to overcome a rejection bloc presumably led by PP and Vox.
Although a simple majority reduces the necessary threshold, Junts' refusal clearly tips the scales towards 'no'. In the absence of alternative support, the chances of validation are considerably reduced.
That it declines, the most predictable scenario
Within the Government itself, it was already assumed in private that the validation of the housing decree-law was the most uncertain scenario of the anti-crisis package, compared to other measures with greater parliamentary consensus.
Some ministers had recognized the difficulty of gathering the necessary support to validate the text in Congress and their commitment to fight to achieve them, anticipating that the text might not overcome the process in Congress. Junts' intervention this Wednesday, confirming its rejection, reinforces that diagnosis and makes it even clearer that the decree has a very complicated path to prosper.
Support for the fiscal decree with criticisms of the Government
In parallel, Junts has indeed opened the door to support the decree of fiscal aid to mitigate the economic impact of the war in Iran, although it considers it “insufficient”.
Rufián has questioned these negotiations and has cast doubt on the coherence of Junts' strategy, evidencing the tensions within the bloc that usually supports the Executive.
Pressure in the street
Given the adverse scenario facing the anti-crisis housing decree-law, from the left-wing forces a call has been made to civil society to demonstrate in favor of its validation in Congress as a pressure measure on the different parliamentary groups, who will be portrayed by the meaning of their votes. The Minister of Consumer Affairs himself, Pablo Bustinduy (Sumar), did so this morning.
According to what Demócrata has been able to learn, that pressure from the streets would already be organizing, although there is still no date for a national protest in this regard.
Finally, it should be noted that, even without a demonstration call having been closed, pro-housing activists, such as tenant unions, have already organized to try to take advantage, at least, of the time the decree-law is in force. Through social media and a website they are informing about when and how tenants with contract expirations before the end of 2027 can request from their landlords an extension of up to two years of the same and rent increases not exceeding 2%.