Spain approves new emergency housing measures

Spain's government approved two extraordinary decrees on Tuesday to deal with the country's housing crisis.

The decision comes after violence broke out in  Barcelona when tens of thousands of people took to the streets.

Monday night's protests in Barcelona demanded measures to resolve a crisis triggered by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in central Madrid.

In Barcelona, what began as a massive, peaceful march turned violent when groups of radical activists clashed with police, throwing rocks and setting fire to rubbish bins.

Housing decrees expand on failed laws

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government approved measures similar to housing reforms rejected by parliament last Friday. That legislative loss led Sanchez on Monday to call for early elections on November 29.

The Socialist leader said the 21 measures in the decrees included "some very positive additions" to the unsuccessful proposed laws. 

The government's housing measures will be sent for ratification to an interim legislative body known as the "standing commission," made up of 69 of parliament's 350 members.

Necessary housing reforms

Alejandro Quiroga, a political science professor at Madrid's Complutense University, told AP that calling on the interim legislature to approve government decisions was constitutional and an important political step on Sanchez's part.

"I don't think Sanchez had an alternative. If they're calling snap elections to keep the public focus on housing, they can't sit idly by and do nothing. That wouldn't have been smart," Quiroga said.

Among the measures are protection against evictions for vulnerable Spaniards until 2030, the regulation of room rentals and a new tax on seasonal leases ranging from 32 days to 11 months. In addition, speculative purchases of real estate will be banned, and tax exemptions will be granted to landlords, Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez said.

Rising costs and housing shortages are keeping many Spaniards out of the property market despite strong economic growth in Europe's fourth-largest economy.

Protesters are demanding more protections for tenants, measures to combat fraud, and a ban on evictions when alternative housing is not available.

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