Spanish government loses housing affordability vote

The Spanish government lost a key vote to ratify a range of emergency

measures aimed at tackling the nation's housing affordability crisis.

The setback sparked speculation that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez

could bring forward elections from next year.

Sanchez had spoken at the end of the five-hour parliamentary debate,

imploring lawmakers to vote for the measures. But his pleas

fell on deaf ears. The Catalan separatist party Junts voted

"No" together with the Popular Party and Vox.

Protesters outside of the parliament building jeered. They want

new measures to stop evictions of vulnerable people, make

real estate speculation harder and provide tax incentives to renters.

The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the past 10 years.

An elderly woman's eviction had sparked protests earlier, even though

her landlord eventually caved in and allowed her to stay.