Sánchez calls snap election in Spain

Spanish voters will head to the polls on November 29, with the election campaign set to begin later this month.

By Sidsel Senius , in News, Politics · 06 Oct 2026, 13:33 · 0 Comments

Credits: Unsplash; Author: Chris Boland;

Pedro Sánchez, Spain’s Prime Minister, has called a snap general election for Sunday, November 29.

The Spanish prime minister confirmed the decision on Monday, October 5, in a statement from La Moncloa following a weekend of talks with ministers and senior PSOE figures, Euro Weekly News reports.

Election campaign begins in November

The result of the election will determine who governs Spain for the next four years; however, forming a government could once again prove difficult if no party wins enough seats to govern alone.

Under Spain’s electoral timetable, an early general election must take place 54 days after the formal publication of the decree, meaning the electoral calendar will begin immediately, with the campaign itself expected to begin on November 13.

Government loses key votes

Sánchez has been under growing pressure to dissolve Parliament after Congress rejected two government housing decrees on Friday. The measures were rejected after PP, Vox and Junts voted against the government’s proposals, highlighting Sánchez’s continued difficulties in maintaining a parliamentary majority and governing a fragmented Congress.

One decree was defeated by 178 votes to 172, and the other by 184 votes to 166, with the proposals including measures affecting vulnerable tenants facing eviction, temporary and room rentals, and protections intended to provide greater stability for some main-home rental contracts. The defeat came as Spain’s housing crisis has sparked protests across the country.

British residents unable to vote

Most British citizens living in Spain will not be able to vote in the election, as residents who have not obtained Spanish citizenship are not eligible to vote in general elections, regardless of whether they live there, own property or pay taxes. The election results could therefore have a direct impact on British residents’ lives, without them having a vote in choosing who governs Spain.