Spain's snap election is influenced by a housing crisis, highlighted by the eviction of an 87-year-old woman, leading to public protests and concerns over rising rents and limited social housing.
An 87-year-old woman's eviction sparked national protests over Spain's housing crisis.
Rents in Madrid are nearly half of the average salary, making housing unaffordable for many.
Spain has a limited supply of public housing, with only 10,000 social housing units for 3.5 million people in Madrid.
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Protesters take part in a demonstration for housing rights in Granada. (EPA Images pic)
MADRID: After simmering below the surface for years, anger at unaffordable housing in Spain has bubbled over and precipitated a general election that will be dominated by the crisis.
The spark was ignited on Sept 23 when 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal was evicted from her lifelong Madrid home on a stretcher after the real estate firm that owned the apartment drastically hiked the rent.
Abascal, who died on Wednesday, became the symbol of a crisis that cuts across Spanish society: young and old, renters and buyers, workers and pensioners.
The uproar at her eviction triggered national demonstrations, with hundreds of people camping in central Madrid's Puerta del Sol square in the most symbolic protest.
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