An 87-year-old woman who became the catalyst for major protests against Spain's housing crisis has died just weeks after being evicted from the apartment she had rented for more than 70 years.
Spain's tenants' union revealed that Maria Carmen Abascal, aged 87, who was evicted from the apartment she had rented for over 70 years and sparked a major protest movement demanding government action on the housing crisis and leading to the dissolution of parliament and early elections, died on Wednesday, 7 Oct 2026.
On 23 Sep, Abascal was forcibly removed from her Madrid home, where she had lived since 1956. She was carried out on a hospital bed after the real estate company owning the apartment raised the rent so dramatically that her pension could no longer cover the cost.
Images of her eviction sparked public outrage, triggering large nationwide protests, with hundreds of people camping out in protest at Puerta del Sol square in Madrid.
The public movement exerted enormous pressure on the left-wing minority coalition government, prompting them to propose two laws to suspend tenant evictions until 2030, extend automatic lease renewals until 2028, tighten regulation of rentals and short-term accommodations, and ban investment firms known as “Vulture Funds” from buying housing for speculation.
However, these proposed measures were rejected by parliament last week, leading Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party to announce the dissolution of parliament and call for early elections on 29 Nov, originally scheduled for 2027, with housing expected to be a main campaign issue.
After her eviction, Abascal was hospitalized with severe exhaustion. Although negotiations later allowed her to return to her home, the tenants' union stated, “This resolution came too late. It was a clearly preventable situation after a painful ordeal.”
Madrid's tenants' union called Abascal's case a “turning point in the nation's history,” even though the price paid to spark national debate on housing was too high.
/foreign news/https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:cna