The spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, Alicia del Río, has regretted that Junts, PP and Vox have announced that they will vote against the two housing decrees agreed upon by the Council of Ministers this Friday, a position that, in her opinion, demonstrates that Parliament is not listening to society.
In statements to the media at the Puerta del Sol encampment, Del Río criticized the Chamber for "disregarding" the people and considered this attitude to be "very serious for democracy." "More than half of the voters of all political parties in this Parliament are in favor of strong measures that evidently involve reducing the profit of landlords. Society is not being listened to, and this is very serious for a democracy," she stated.
"A minimum measure" for the right to housing
The union spokesperson insisted that the two decrees are "a minimum measure," although, she argued, they would represent an advance in the "right to life." In this vein, she criticized the existence of a "purely landlord Parliament that defends speculation above life."
Del Río maintained that Congress's rejection of the Government's proposal implies a fundamental political blockage and argued that, if the measures do not go forward, the Executive is questioned. "If Parliament cannot pass these measures, this Government no longer makes any sense," she said, adding that "it cannot be tolerated that a Parliament disregards the mandate of its people."
Likewise, regarding the possibility that the President of the Executive, Pedro Sánchez, might call early elections after the groups' rejection of the measures, Del Río expressed that, if Parliament cannot pass these initiatives, the Government "no longer makes any sense," because "it cannot be tolerated that a Parliament disregards the mandate of its people."
Call for mobilization and general strike
Given the veto by the Lower House, the spokesperson announced that the organization will continue "organizing discontent" to transform it into "legislative improvements." To this end, she stressed that "there is only one path forward: the general strike."
Regarding the permanence of the encampment in Sol, Alicia del Río did not specify how long it would continue, but she claimed that efforts are now focused on going to the door of the Congress of Deputies "to be there in body and soul" while, she denounced, "the deputies are betraying" the people.
Pressure in front of Congress and fences on Carrera de San Jerónimo
In relation to the limitations on accessing the Lower House, where the Police have cordoned off Carrera de San Jerónimo with fences, the spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union insisted that the organization's intention is to continue "pressuring" the deputies so that they "think very carefully when pressing the button of speculation."