Congress rejected the housing decrees, and the government was unable to secure sufficient protection

The Spanish Government did not get the support it needed to push through the housing decrees passed this week in theCongress of Deputies.

The first decree on housing measures, aimed at protecting vulnerable persons from evictions, was voted against by the PP, Vox and Junts. The second decree included the automatic extension of rental contracts, which was also rejected by the PNV.

In the course of the debate, moreover, the PSOE and Suhar partners have been very critical of the content of the decrees and their strategy of presenting them separately. With the government losing the votes, the legislature has been left in a difficult situation because housing itself is one of the main issues of the mandate and remains the main concern of the citizens.

When the Council of Ministers passed the second decree there were serious doubts and the result was cleared yesterday with the refusal of the PNV. The first one was more likely to be validated, but it could not pass the test because Junts did not join the critical supporters.

The Spanish Government has not put the possibility of early elections on the table, but some media suggest that preparations for the meeting have begun.

According to the government, most of Junts' measures have been taken into account.

During the debate, the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, said that the first decree contains 90% of the applications of the Catalan right and that she is prepared to deal with them later as a project in order to make any changes she deems appropriate.

Among these proposals, Rodriguez cited tax bonuses for tenants and owners, tax exemptions for the elderly, loans for young people and a reduction in construction VAT.

He also referred to measures relating to redundancies, among formulas also advocated by the right, to "protect the small owner from unpaid debts" by the tenant.

"Ladies and gentlemen, if the eviction of Maricarmen was a collective failure, what I expect from Parliament today, and I believe that the majority of Spanish and Catalan society expects it, is an agreement to prevent it from happening again, to prevent another eviction in Spain," he said.

Yes from EH Bildu and partial support from the PNV

Among the support for both decrees is that of EH Bildu. In his speech, his spokesman, Oskar Matute, has been "deeply upset" with parties that "put calculations and agendas above the general interest in the face of an emergency situation" and has argued that the House's responsibility is "to offer solutions to thousands of families in dire need."

However, he has also been critical. EH Bildu sees "progress" in the text, "but not enough," because "much more is needed to guarantee the right to decent housing." He has insisted that, despite the results of the votes, "nothing ends today," because the increase in "social pressure" is "inevitable."

The PNV, for its part, has regretted that it is not possible to reach a minimal agreement because of the "blindness and intolerance" of some groups, which want to go to "maximums" and therefore everything is "nothing."

Spokeswoman Maribel Cowboy regretted that the housing crisis was intended to be resolved immediately, in 48 hours, and also criticized the legal figure chosen because there were other mechanisms that allowed for further discussion.

"The laws that will be voted on here today will be examined in law schools as an example of what should not be done," he stressed. "Haste should not be an excuse to steal parliamentary debate," he added.

The left criticizes Junts for preventing a necessary decree

Parties close to the government, including Podemos, have backed both decrees, but have been critical of their strategy and especially targeted by Junts.

ERCspokesman Gabriel Rufián has lashed out at Junts, calling his flag a 50 euro note and inviting them to take to the streets, accompanied by protesters, "Take to the streets without escorts."

According to Rufin, Junts' attitude is due to the fact that his MPs have real estate interests, and he has warned that the mistake they are making is "historic" and that they have ignored the consequences.

We canalso go against the right: "Mrs Nogueras, Mr Feijóo, Mr Abascal, we will not forget. Every time there is an eviction, it will be you, ladies and gentlemen of the PP, Vox and Junts, who are throwing people with your own hands."

Its spokeswoman, Ione Belarra, has also denounced the government for "another disappointment." According to Podemos, the PSOE has decided to push for decrees because people have withdrawn their support, and has stressed that dividing them into two different decrees has not been enough to gain Junts' support.

The right considers rights to be harmful to housing.

PP, Vox and Junts reaffirm in the vote the reproaches advanced this week. PPMP Juan Bravo lashes out at the government for "breaking" the housing market. "They decide to fix in four days what they have been destroying for eight years. The problem is that they have brought us the same policies that have led us here so far," he said.

According to the people, the decrees do not solve the housing deficit problem. "We vote no to using the drama of an 87-year-old woman to cover up the failure of her management," she said.