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Sánchez Cabinet to Vote on “Maricarmen Decree” After Eviction

By Drooid · Sep 27, 2026, 10:05 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from her Madrid home after more than seven decades.
Police gave her 30 minutes to collect belongings and escorted her on a stretcher to an ambulance.
The eviction sparked protests in Madrid, with officials estimating 25,000 attendees and the tenants’ union claiming up to 300,000.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet will vote on a ‘Maricarmen decree’ to renew contracts and tighten eviction rules.
Parliamentary approval of the decree remains uncertain.

History

Historical Context

In 2008, Spain’s housing market collapsed, triggering a wave of foreclosures that left over 1.5 million families displaced. Banco Santander alone wrote down €30 billion in mortgage assets, while the government’s “Plan for the Recovery of Housing” allocated €2 billion to aid victims. Today's eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal echoes those mass displacements, as Madrid’s tenants’ union UCV protests alongside 300,000 demonstrators demanding stronger safeguards. The 2008 crisis taught legislators that inadequate tenant protections fuel social unrest, prompting Sánchez’s cabinet to consider a “Maricarmen decree” to tighten eviction rules.

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Story summary

Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from her Madrid home after more than seven decades.
Police gave her 30 minutes to collect belongings and escorted her on a stretcher to an ambulance.
The eviction sparked protests in Madrid, with officials estimating 25,000 attendees and the tenants’ union claiming up to 300,000.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s cabinet will vote on a ‘Maricarmen decree’ to renew contracts and tighten eviction rules.
Parliamentary approval of the decree remains uncertain.

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