Belarra accuses the Government of "makeup" with housing and demands the expropriation of 650,000 flats from vulture funds: "There is no room for half measures"

Podemos has increased pressure on the Government this Thursday regarding the housing decree that PSOE and Sumar want to accelerate after Maricarmen's eviction. The general secretary of the party, Ione Belarra, has branded the package as "cosmetic measures" and has demanded the expropriation of homes from investment funds and large owners to allocate them to social housing.

The leader estimates that these entities own around 650,000 flats throughout Spain and believes that incorporating them into the public housing stock would allow for affordable rents and reduce the capacity of large investors to control the market. The figure comes from Podemos' estimates, and Belarra has not detailed the cost or timeline of such an operation during the interview.

"Faced with this crisis, there is no room for half measures," she defended on 'Mañaneros 360'. For Belarra, the problem has already exceeded the limits of a temporary emergency and requires changing the rules that have allowed funds, banks, and real estate companies to accumulate housing while a growing part of the population finds it difficult to rent or buy.

The leader of Podemos has directly linked her proposal to the case of Maricarmen, evicted this Wednesday from the Madrid house where she had lived since 1956. Belarra has called the eviction an "assassination", considering that expelling an 87-year-old woman with a disability and reduced mobility from her environment seriously compromises her health.

She also denounced the "absolutely unjustified police violence" against those who tried to stop the eviction. The Secretary of Organization of Podemos, Pablo Fernández, claims he was assaulted during the operation, has filed a report of injuries, and has announced that he will go to court.

Four votes that are once again decisive

The position of Podemos is decisive for a decree that still does not have a guaranteed majority. Its four deputies already warned before the summer that they would vote against it if the Government maintained the reform of the Land Law, considered by the party an "urban amnesty" aimed at facilitating large operations paralyzed by administrative irregularities.

The draft negotiated by PSOE and Sumar contemplates extending contracts that expire until June 2028 for two years, recovering the protection of vulnerable families against evictions, regulating seasonal and room rentals, and increasing the taxation of tourist apartments. It also incorporates tax bonuses for owners who freeze or reduce rents, a formula that Podemos rejects.

The problem for Moncloa is that some concessions aimed at attracting Junts and the Basque Nationalist Party clash with the demands of the purples. Junts demands more incentives for owners and tenants, measures against occupation, and respect for Catalan competencies, while the PNV insists on including the reform of the Land Law.

Sumar has also asked that the Council of Ministers next Tuesday approve the expropriation of Maricarmen's home and return it to its former tenant. Podemos extends that claim and proposes to act on all apartments in the hands of investment funds and large holders.

The Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, keeps conversations open with the groups and wants to arrive on Tuesday with the support secured. Podemos maintains its red line on the Land Law and Belarra has made it clear that its four deputies will not support a text built with tweaks. "With measures that touch a little here and a little there, we are not going to solve a structural problem," she warned.