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Aragón becomes fourth region in Spain where far right has share of power

Spain's right-wing Popular Party and far-right Vox agreed Friday to form a coalition in the region of Aragón, as negotiations continue on the national level following elections that have left a hung parliament.

Published: 4 August 2023 16:17 CEST
Aragón becomes fourth region in Spain where far right has share of power
Now that it has a share of power in Aragón, Vox plans cancellation of PSOE-led Trans and Democratic Memory laws, the introduction of a parental vetoes in schools and the promotion of a new public-private healthcare. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP)

Aragón is the fourth of Spain’s 17 regions where the far-right party has taken power through coalition agreements, after Vox entered the regional governments of Extremadura and Valencia in June of this year, preceded by a similar PP-Vox coalition in Castilla y León in 2022. 

The Popular Party (PP) had come out on top in Aragón, but failed to reach an absolute majority during municipal and regional polls in May, requiring a partnership to avoid another election being called.

The presidency of Aragón will be held by the PP’s Jorge Azcón, while Vox will oversee the departments of agricultural and territorial development, as well as justice.

Azcón was not present at the signing of the coalition on Friday, leading PSOE spokesperson Pilar Alegría to criticise the Popular Party for “wanting to form pacts with Vox, but not show face”.  

Instead PP and Vox spokespersons Ana Alós and Alejandro Nolasco faced the cameras as the two parties agreed to jointly rule the region of 1.3 million inhabitants.

The pact comes after PP and Vox politicians in the region agreed to 80 points relating to everything from health and education to environment and employment, with the most controversial changes planned being the cancellation of PSOE-led Trans and Democratic Memory laws, the introduction of a parental vetoes in schools and the promotion of a new public-private healthcare. 

“This government is going to be a containment dam in the defence of the equality of all Spaniards and all Aragonese,” the PP’s Alós told journalists.

The results of local elections prompted the early call for polls on the national level, held last month, which saw Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s party gain far more votes than polls predicted but still fall short of a majority.

The PP took the lead with 137 seats, also short of a majority, leaving the socialists a window to form government with enough alliances.

However, PP has managed to partner with Vox to take power in several cities in the country, which has drawn criticism from the left particularly over the far-right party’s renunciation of the concept of gender violence.

READ: Spain’s election gridlock- What happens next?

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PROPERTY

Spain’s plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

Spain's left-wing government had planned to tighten its grip on temporary accommodation rentals as a potential means of making more long-term rentals available, but the country's right-wing parties on Tuesday rejected the proposal in parliament.

Published: 18 September 2024 11:53 CEST
Spain's plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

If passed, the new law would have meant that anyone who wanted to temporarily rent a property would have to explain why and provide a valid reason.

For example, students or researchers would have to show the research contract or course booking to show it would only last a few months.

It would have also meant that if more than six months passed or more than two consecutive contracts issued, it will have automatically become a long-term habitual residence instead.

On Tuesday September 17th, the proposal was ultimately rejected in the Spanish Congress, voted against by Spain’s three main right-wing parties – Catalan nationalists Junts, Spain’s main opposition party the PP and far-right Vox.

The aim in part was to try and rectify the controversial Housing Law, which came into effect in 2023.

In most people’s eyes, the legislation has failed as landlords have found several loopholes to get around the restrictions, prices have continued to increase and the stock of rental properties is even more diminished.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

As a result of the fear of heightened regulation for landlords, many have left the traditional market and turned to tourist rentals or temporary accommodation instead, which are far more lucrative. 

This has had the opposite effect, increasing rental prices instead of stabilising or decreasing them.

READ MORE: Why landlords in Spain leave their flats empty rather than rent long-term

Seasonal contracts and room rentals allow landlords to raise prices every six or nine months and they not subject to the price limitations of the housing law.

The idea of this new law was to try and set the maximum duration of a temporary rental contracts at six months in order to avoid this, but it could have potentially also caused problems for many who need this type accommodation such as students, digital nomads, those living here on a short term basis etc. 

During the debate, Sumar’s spokesperson, Íñigo Errejón, defended the law saying that it is a “solvent”, “fair” and “precise” proposal, which will help “correct an abuse” and “close the gap through which “Landlords can use to avoid the LAU (Urban Leasing Law) and rent regulation”.  

Far-left party Podemos blamed the ruling PSOE for having left this “hole” in the housing law, but also agreed that the restrictions on temporary accommodation were needed to try and rectify this.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

Junts (Catalonia’s main pro-independence party) and the PNV, the Basque nationalist party, were firmly against it. They agreed that the problem must be solved and that “accessible decent housing was needed”, but raised the situation of students, interns, residents or workers who need housing for flexible periods.

Junts party member Marta Madrenas warned of the harmful effects that this limitation on temporary rentals can have for university cities such as Girona.

Vox and the PP meanwhile argued that they don’t want to help cover up the mistakes made by the left with regards to the Housing Law.

Vox deputy Ignacio Hoces stated that the increase in seasonal rentals has occurred due to the “failure” of the Housing Law, since this has caused rental prices to “skyrocketed” by 13 percent and the supply to be reduced by 15 percent.

Temporary accommodation, referred to as alquiler temporal or alquiler de temporada in Spanish, is considered to be anything that’s longer than a month but shorter than a year, middle ground between short-term and long-term rentals. It is also referred to as monthly accommodation or seasonal accommodation.

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