By Kivanç Özdal
Why did the housing crisis in Spain deepen? How did the housing issue transform into a political crisis? Will early elections bring a solution? Did Western globalists use the housing crisis to overthrow the Sánchez government over its stance on Palestine and Iran? Marta Martín Morán, one of the leaders of the Communist Party of Spain and Vice President of the Party of the European Left, evaluated developments in her country. Stating that the migration crisis was orchestrated by Israel, Morán emphasized that the housing crisis is a structural problem of capitalism.
In Spain, the housing crisis has moved beyond being merely an economic issue and has turned into a political struggle. The housing crisis has triggered early elections. Following the obstruction of housing decrees in parliament, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decided to call an election. Citizens will head to the polls on November 29. Two months ago, the country also faced a migration crisis. Yet Spain did not only stand out for its crises: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s vocal support for the Palestinian cause and his “No to war” stance against US and Israeli strikes on Iran elevated the Madrid administration onto the global political stage.
Marta Martín Morán evaluated developments in Spain for Aydınlık Avrupa. Morán serves as the Vice President and Head of International Relations for the Party of the European Left, which brings together left-wing, socialist, and communist parties within the European Parliament. She also serves as the Deputy Secretary of International Relations for the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), one of Spain’s oldest and most rooted socialist traditions.
Pressure On Spain Via the Migration Crisis
I will ask about the housing crisis, but let us rewind a bit. At the end of July, a wave of migration occurred from Morocco to Ceuta. Did Israel play a role in this crisis?
What occurred in Ceuta must be analyzed not as an isolated migration incident, but within the current geopolitical context and the international pressures exerted on Spain.
As the Communist Party of Spain (PCE), we condemned from the outset the responsibility of Moroccan authorities who permitted mass entry across the Ceuta border. This is not the first time Morocco has utilized migration flows as an instrument of political leverage against Spain. Police investigations have uncovered evidence indicating that individuals linked to Moroccan security forces played a role in the planning and execution of the event. In parallel, the Spanish government condemned the intervention of disinformation networks linked to Israel that contributed to escalating the crisis.
We must remember that Morocco is a strategic ally maintaining close military and intelligence cooperation with the United States and Israel. Furthermore, Israel supplies Morocco with weapons and military technology in the context of the occupation of Western Sahara.
For this reason, we believe there are solid grounds to interpret these events within the framework of a hybrid pressure campaign targeting the Spanish government. This campaign brings together diplomatic, economic, information, and political instruments, acting—among other issues—as a reaction to Spain’s stance against the genocide of the Palestinian people and against the military aggression of the US and Israel targeting Iran.
This does not imply definitive proof that a direct order was issued by Israel to organize the entry of migrants. All responsibilities, including Morocco’s conduct, must be investigated and clarified.
Housing Cannot Be a Tool Of Profit For Capital
Mass protests were organized against the housing crisis. How do you assess this crisis and these demonstrations?
The housing crisis is one of the primary structural problems in Spain and across Europe, and it currently constitutes one of the most decisive factors driving the impoverishment of the working class.
We are confronting the consequences of decades of policies in which housing—which ought to be a fundamental right—has been converted into a financial asset aimed at generating private profit. The problem is not confined solely to a housing shortage. It also concerns who owns the properties, who controls the real estate market, how supply is distributed, and what function it serves within our economic model.
The privatization of public housing, the expansion of investment funds, real estate speculation, the proliferation of tourist rentals, and the immense weight of rent-seeking have caused an ever-growing portion of wages to flow directly into the hands of landlords and financial institutions.
The eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal, who was evicted from the home she had lived in for seventy years and passed away just days later, has become a symbol of an injustice affecting thousands of people.
‘We Support the Mobilizations’
We support the actions led by tenants’ unions, social movements, and trade union organizations. The call for a general strike announced for November 11 represents a critical qualitative leap, because it directly links the struggle for the right to housing with the defense of wages, public services, and the living conditions of the working classes.
However, our position goes beyond demanding emergency measures. We advocate for the creation of an expansive public housing stock consisting of social and affordable rental homes, effective intervention in prices, the regulation of short-term tourist rentals, restrictions on speculative property ownership, and a ban on evictions carried out without providing alternative housing.
Housing must fundamentally cease to be a commodity and become a right effectively guaranteed by public authorities.
The Plan to Install a Government Compliant With Washington and the EU
Is it possible that Western elites are using the housing crisis to overthrow the Sánchez government due to its positions on Palestine and Iran?
We believe there are domestic and international interests that wish to bring an end to the current Spanish government and replace it with another fully aligned with the positions of Washington and the most conservative sectors of the European Union.
Spain has taken stances that triggered significant tensions with the US and Israel, notably by recognizing the State of Palestine, condemning the genocide in Gaza, rejecting military aggression against Iran, refusing permission for Spanish military bases to be used for this operation, and resisting demands to increase military spending to 5% of GDP.
We are facing a multifaceted hybrid offensive designed to break the government’s capacity for an independent foreign policy.
In addition, there is an internal offensive through the judicialization of politics—what we term “lawfare.” Certain organizations linked to the extreme right have initiated legal proceedings against individuals close to the Prime Minister and conducted media campaigns anticipating political convictions before final court rulings are rendered.
‘Social Protest Is Legitimate’
However, the housing crisis was created neither by the United States nor by Israel. This crisis is the product of decades of economic and urban planning policies that encouraged speculation. Social protest is legitimate and responds to genuine popular needs. We cannot allow those who mobilize to be discredited by being portrayed as pawns of foreign powers.
Yet it is equally true that this domestic crisis can be exploited by political, economic, and media forces seeking to weaken the government. Major financial and real estate conglomerates have their own interests in preventing reforms that would cap their profits, and these interests can converge with those of international actors who oppose Spain’s foreign policy.
Therefore, the core issue is not simply the survival of the left-wing coalition government. The issue is Spain’s capacity to exercise its sovereignty, pursue an independent foreign policy, and develop social policies without capitulating to the interests of major powers or financial elites.
We defend the government against destabilization operations and the extreme right; however, this defense does not mean we will abandon demanding and fighting for deeper, structural social transformations.
The Left Must Deliver Solutions to Workers’ Problems
What is your forecast for the November 29 elections? What kind of political landscape will emerge?
The November 29 elections will take place in an exceptionally complex context marked by strong social mobilization, pronounced political polarization, and an increasingly unstable international environment.
Current opinion polls show that the People’s Party (PP) and Vox have a tangible possibility of securing a parliamentary majority. This would represent an extraordinarily alarming scenario, as it could open the doors for the far-right to enter the Spanish Government and lead to a severe historical regression in social rights, labor conditions, and democratic gains.
Furthermore, it would trigger a radical realignment in foreign policy: a tighter subservience to the United States and Israel, an escalation in military spending, and the dismantling of Spain’s dignified position defending Palestine and international law.
Nevertheless, polls do not dictate the election outcome, and a decisive period of political and social mobilization still lies ahead.
We believe the fundamental historical task before the Left is to rebuild a social majority capable of producing concrete solutions to the urgent problems facing the working class. To achieve this, consolidating the unity of progressive and transformative forces is essential; but it is equally vital to equip these forces with a clear, identifiable political project that goes beyond mere opposition to the right.
‘The Far-Right Must Be Prevented from Coming To Power’
The housing crisis, wages, public services, and the defense of peace must be placed at the center of the electoral debate.
The general strike called for November 11 demonstrates that a significant popular mobilization capacity exists. The primary task is ensuring that this mobilization translates into political will and shifts the balance of power in favor of labor.
We must not forget that the rise of the far-right across Europe is directly linked to the frustration and economic precariousness spawned by neoliberal policies.
Our immediate priority is to prevent a PP-Vox government; however, it is equally crucial to ensure that any new progressive majority possesses the political will and resolve necessary to advance economic democratization, safeguard social rights, and uphold a foreign policy committed to peace, popular sovereignty, and multipolarity.
Yet regardless of who wins, Spain will need a Left that is organized, capable of mobilizing the masses, and committed to its own distinct project of social transformation.
‘We Regard the Decision For Early Elections As Justified’
The housing crisis triggered early elections. Who blocked the decrees? Was Sánchez’s decision correct?
On October 2, the Congress of Deputies rejected two housing decrees submitted by the government. The first decree was blocked by the People’s Party (PP), Vox, Junts, and the Navarrese People’s Union (UPN). On the second decree, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and the Canarian Coalition (CC) joined this blocking coalition.
We specifically condemn the role played by Junts, which once again aligned itself with the right and the far-right to block progress on protecting tenants and families threatened with eviction.
Faced with this parliamentary paralysis, we consider the decision to call early elections justified. When there is no majority capable of approving policies that address social needs, it is legitimate to return the mandate to the citizens to attempt to forge a new majority.
‘A More Structural Solution Must Be Built’
Following the dissolution of parliament, the government approved two Royal Decree-Laws on October 6 with several amendments. These new texts will be submitted to the Permanent Deputation of the Congress. It is important to note that approval by the Council of Ministers does not constitute final parliamentary ratification.
Among the envisioned measures, key highlights include extending protection against evictions for vulnerable families until 2030, an extraordinary extension of up to two years for specific rental contracts, caps on rent increases, stricter regulations on temporary and room-by-room rentals, restrictions on certain speculative property purchases, and new initiatives to expand affordable housing stock.
We evaluate these measures positively insofar as they can protect many families and curb certain abuses. However, we must also state unequivocally: these measures alone do not constitute a structural solution to the housing crisis.
Without a sufficiently vast public housing stock, without decisive intervention in the real estate market, and without curtailing the power of financial capital to speculate on a basic necessity like housing, this crisis will inevitably continue to recur.