00:00Now, mass rallies are continuing across Spain as protesters call for action on the country's housing crisis.
00:06On Friday, Parliament rejected a bill aimed at giving more protection to tenants.
00:11It was proposed by the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez,
00:14following public outcry over the eviction of an elderly woman.
00:18The bill's rejection has boosted speculation that Sanchez could call a snap election.
00:24I'm joined now by freelance journalist Graham Keeley, who is in Madrid.
00:28Hello, Graham. First of all, talk to me about what's happening on the ground today with the protests and whether
00:34there's been any violence.
00:36Yes, well, tens of thousands of people across Spain have been demonstrating, as you say, right now in Madrid and
00:4450 other cities across the country
00:47and calling for action on the country's deepening housing crisis.
00:53There has been violence in Valencia.
00:56Basically, some 30 protesters broke into a building called the Arts Centre in Valencia,
01:06where there was an investors' meeting going on.
01:08And there were clashes with police who fired rubber bullets and tear gas to try and break it up.
01:14Otherwise, the protests have been peaceful.
01:17I wonder if you can tell us, Graham, why the bill was voted down on Friday.
01:22It sounded like it was an attempt to solve the crisis.
01:26It was voted down, essentially, because Sanchez presides over a minority coalition government of the left wing
01:35with the help of regional parties.
01:38And one of these regional parties, a Catalan nationalist party called Junts,
01:44they voted against this bill, saying it would not solve the crisis.
01:48In fact, it would worsen insecurity in the property sector by basically not putting more properties up for rent and
02:02not helping.
02:03I wonder if you could talk to me about the housing crisis in Spain.
02:08Just how severe are the rent increases and evictions?
02:13OK, well, the rents have doubled over the last 10 years, but wages have not kept up with this.
02:23Average wage in Spain is about €1,200, and on average, rents occupy about 98% of what people earn.
02:36So you can see that people just cannot afford many of the high prices that exist here.
02:43A number of evictions really is a number I couldn't give you reliably.
02:49However, what happens in many cases, as you get these dramatic examples of the elderly lady of 87,
02:58who was evicted after a long battle with an investment fund, which owned her property.
03:04Eventually, she was taken out of her home after a three-hour battle.
03:10Wow.
03:11Talk to me about the political implications.
03:13The Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, his bill is voted down.
03:17Could this risk his political career?
03:21Absolutely, because all the polls over the past few months have suggested that when the scheduled election happens,
03:29whenever that is, it's due by August next year, the right, that's the Conservative People's Party,
03:36and the far-right, Vox Party, are the ones who should win the elections.
03:43Sanchez may believe that the strength of these protests today show that perhaps he should act at this moment
03:51and try and restore or seize the moment and call it a snap election.
03:57It depends what he's thinking right now about how strong the feeling is.
04:03Is this just a small number of people who care about this issue, or is it a broader concern in
04:11society?
04:12And can he win over people who perhaps have been against him in the past few months over other problems?
04:19Thank you so much for that update.
04:20Freelance journalist Graham Keeley is in.
