Catalan nationalist party to overturn housing decrees this Friday, leaving current government's term in critical state

Despite the support of other parties, including that of the Basque Country's nationalist party (PNV), Junts has now called on the government to withdraw the decrees and start negotiations again.

Junts has not stated what it would do should the government decide to go ahead with the vote in Parliament, but sources within the party leadership confirm that it will vote against the measures.

If Junts fulfils its promise, it will be a severe blow to Pedro Sánchez and his term in office, which is already in a critical condition. The prime minister has been working hard this week to convince the parties in Parliament that their supporters will not understand if they vote against the decrees, given the "historic opportunity" that the housing protest has presented before a possible consensus between the two extremes.

"The political groups will have to choose whom they protect: those who live in the houses or those who make a fortune from them," Sánchez said on Thursday.

Junts has also come under social pressure. The party's spokesperson in Congreso, Míriam Nogueras, warned on Wednesday that the party members feel "disappointed and concerned" about the contents of the decrees. Their main criticism has always been that it harms small property owners. "We are not afraid to take the heat to defend the interests of Catalan families," she said.

The PNV, despite its support of families who rent out their properties to supplement their income, has stated that the government's proposed decree "protects vulnerable people and improves the situation for small landlords". Spokesperson Maribel Vaquero, however, criticised its "disastrous wording" and made it clear that she does not regard it as a solution to the housing problem but rather as a "stopgap".

"You cannot fix in a decree-law what has not been done in eight years," she wrote on X.

The general secretary of the Podemos party, Ione Belarra, also described the measures as "crumbs", although she said they would support them because they do not want them to serve as an "excuse" for the government to "continue doing nothing", not because she believes they will solve anything.

"In a month's time, people will see that rents are still sky-high and that evictions are still taking place," she said. Podemos criticised the fact that the government had split the decree in two.

"If the decree hadn't been split up, there might have been some doubt as to whether Junts would have gone so far as to approve any measure on its own. Now there's no doubt left. Therefore, those who said 'one decree and let them show their true colours' were once again wrong. Now they really have shown their true colours," Minister of Transport Óscar Puente said on Thursday night.

Speaking on behalf of Sumar, Minister of Health Mónica García was even harsher on Junts. "There are two ways of doing politics: making people's lives a misery or putting forward solutions that improve their lives," she said.

According to the central government's headquarters, Moncloa, voting in Parliament will go ahead on Friday and Pedro Sánchez will not withdraw any of the measures. The effectiveness of these measures, they stated, was clear within the first 24 hours of their coming into force, with the suspension of an eviction in Barcelona.

"The time has come for the PP, Vox and Junts to show their true colours and show whether they stand with the public or with speculators. With the middle and working classes or with the elites. Spain cannot wait any longer. It needs solutions and a bold housing policy," government sources said.

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