MADRID — An 87-year-old woman whose forced removal from her apartment became the catalyst for Spain's largest housing protests in recent memory will be allowed to return to the home she has occupied for seven decades, her legal representative confirmed Tuesday.
María del Carmen Abascal, known across Spain simply as "Maricarmen," has been receiving hospital care since last Wednesday, when authorities carried her out of her apartment on a stretcher to execute an eviction order. The image of the elderly woman being removed from the residence she had lived in for roughly seventy years ignited public outrage and drew tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities.
Her lawyer, Beatriz Duro, told The Associated Press that Abascal has reached an agreement with the company that owns the property in Madrid's upscale Retiro district. Under the terms of the deal, the 87-year-old will return to her home as soon as doctors discharge her from the hospital.
"She is very happy," Duro said, describing her client's response to the news.
The agreement caps Abascal's monthly rent at 30 percent of her income, according to the lawyer. In practical terms, that means she will not be required to pay more than the 500 euros — approximately $570 — per month that she had been paying before the eviction. The arrangement effectively restores the terms she had previously enjoyed, easing concerns that she would be priced out of the neighborhood where she has spent most of her life.
The case has become a flashpoint in Spain's broader housing emergency, a crisis that has been building for years as rents have climbed sharply in major cities while wages have remained relatively stagnant. Abascal's situation resonated with millions of Spaniards who fear they could face similar circumstances, particularly elderly residents on fixed incomes who have watched their neighborhoods transform through gentrification and rising property values.
On Tuesday morning, just hours before Abascal's return was announced, the coalition government led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialists unveiled a package of measures aimed at addressing the housing crisis. The announcement came after four consecutive days of intense protests, which coalesced around an encampment in Puerta del Sol, Madrid's most recognizable public square and a traditional gathering point for demonstrations.
Housing Minister Isabel Rodríguez presented the government's plans at the presidential palace, outlining a decree that includes several significant provisions. The most prominent measure extends protections against eviction for vulnerable Spaniards until 2030, providing a longer-term safeguard for those at risk of losing their homes. The decree also introduces regulations for room rentals, a sector that has expanded rapidly in recent years with relatively little oversight.
Additionally, the government plans to impose a new tax on seasonal rentals, a move intended to address the proliferation of short-term accommodations that critics say has reduced the supply of long-term housing in popular urban areas. The decree also includes a ban on what Rodríguez described as "speculative real estate purchases by vulture funds" through 2028, targeting investment entities that acquire distressed properties in bulk.
However, officials acknowledged that the full text of the decree has not yet been released, leaving unanswered questions about how such investment funds would be classified and precisely how large the new tax would be. These ambiguities could complicate implementation and have already prompted skepticism from some observers who question whether the measures will be sufficient to address the scale of the crisis.
The government's proposal also offers tax incentives to landlords who rent to low-income tenants, a provision designed to encourage property owners to make their units available to those who might otherwise struggle to find affordable housing. First-time homebuyers would benefit from interest-free loans under the plan, while public housing would receive enhanced protections and support for new construction.
Rodríguez was explicit in crediting the protest movement for pushing the government to act. "This has been thanks to the citizen movement," she said. "To Maricarmen. To the thousands of people in the streets."
The encampment in Puerta del Sol drew participants from across Spanish society, reflecting the breadth of concern about housing affordability. Protesters carried signs demanding stronger legal protections for renters, and many cited Abascal's case as a symbol of what they described as a system that prioritizes property rights and investment returns over human dignity and stability.
Whether the announced measures will satisfy the demonstrators remains uncertain. Some activist groups have already indicated that the proposals do not go far enough, particularly given the lack of detail about enforcement mechanisms and the absence of more aggressive rent controls. The decree's success will depend heavily on how effectively it can be implemented and whether it meaningfully alters the dynamics of Spain's housing market.
For Abascal herself, the immediate crisis appears to have been resolved. After spending nearly a week in the hospital — a period that coincided with the largest housing protests Spain has witnessed in years — she is now poised to return to the apartment where she has lived since the 1950s. Her case has transformed her into an unexpected public figure, a symbol of resistance against displacement whose name has been chanted in the streets of the capital.
The episode has also highlighted the human dimensions of Spain's housing challenges, which extend far beyond statistics about rents and vacancy rates. Behind each eviction is a personal story, and in Abascal's case, that story captured national attention and helped catalyze a political response. Whether that response will translate into lasting change for the thousands of other Spaniards facing similar pressures remains the central question as the protests continue and the government's measures move toward implementation.
(0)