The left celebrates the housing decrees and the PP and Vox describe them as 'posturing'

PalmaThe Islands are one of the territories of the State with one of the most strained housing markets. For this reason, the two decree laws that the PSOE and Sumar have agreed upon this Tuesday at the Council of Ministers have also shaken the Balearic political board. While the left has applauded the initiative, which involves banning evictions of vulnerable people until 2030 and extending rental contracts by two years, the PP has described the measure as "frivolity" and "posturing," and Vox has lashed out at the left for engaging, in its view, in electoralism.

These are two decree-laws, which are approved separately due to the difficulties in agreeing on a single measure. One of them contains the moratorium on evictions for vulnerable families until 2030, the regulation of room rentals and seasonal rentals, the prohibition on the purchase of housing by vulture funds until 2028, and the extension of contracts for two years. The other includes the automatic renewal of all rental contracts, a demand from the left and the Tenants' Union.

After President Marga Prohens accused the Spanish PSOE government of being to "blame" for the evictions taking place in the State, the socialist spokesperson, Iago Negueruela, contrasted the two decrees with the PP's "inaction" on housing. "Stand up to [Alberto Núñez] Feijóo for the Balearic Islands," he told her. "We have a government that says 'no' to vulture funds and 'yes' to preventing evictions, and a Prohens who says nothing," he stated.

For his part, the spokesperson for MÉS per Mallorca, Lluís Apesteguia, celebrated the approval of the decrees, but asked that they go further, towards a transformation of the market. He also rejected the fact that there are "two decree-laws" instead of one due to the difficulties they face in passing in the Congress of Deputies. However, he refused to assess the possibility of Sumar leaving the Spanish government: "That is for Sumar to decide".

In contrast, the PP spokesperson, Sebastià Sagreras, considered the approval of the decrees an exercise in "frivolity" and "posturing". Although he avoided going into the substance of the measure until he knows more details, the popular party member considered that "housing problems, after so many years of government, are not solved with one decree or two". "It is a frivolity to face such a serious problem in this way and by approving things that they know will not have sufficient support," he added.

"After eight years of government, now they decide to make a decree on measures regarding the housing issue, with more than 750,000 evictions behind them," said the Vox spokesperson, Manuela Cañadas. Thus, she accused the Spanish government of "doing nothing" in eight years. "Now they will do nothing: just totally populist measures," she declared.