The death of an 87-year-old woman who was evicted from her longtime home has intensified a political crisis in Spain, where nationwide protests over soaring housing costs have helped force an early election.
María del Carmen Abascal, known as “Maricarmen,” died Wednesday after being hospitalized following her eviction from a Madrid apartment where she had lived for seven decades, according to The Associated Press.
Her death came just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for Nov. 29 after his government’s failure to pass emergency housing measures through Parliament.
The controversy has put renewed pressure on Sánchez’s Socialist Party as Spain grapples with widespread frustration over rising rents and housing affordability.
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At the center of the uproar was Abascal’s Sept. 23 eviction, which drew national attention after images showed the elderly woman, who used a wheelchair, being carried from her apartment on a stretcher.
Police had cordoned off the street and removed demonstrators who attempted to stop the eviction.
The images sparked demonstrations in Madrid and other Spanish cities, turning Abascal into a symbol of the country’s housing crisis.
The real estate company responsible for her eviction had sought to lease the apartment at a substantially higher price, according to the AP.
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Facing mounting public pressure, the company eventually agreed to allow Abascal to return to her home. She died before she could move back.
Her cause of death has not been disclosed.
After news of her death, demonstrators gathered outside Spain’s Parliament and in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square, where some observed a minute of silence.
Protesters also chanted, “Maricarmen lives, the fight goes on!”
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Sánchez offered condolences in a statement on X.
“All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones,” he wrote. “A hug as well to all of us who feel this loss as our own today. Rest in peace.”
Conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo also expressed condolences and urged political leaders not to use the woman’s death for political gain.
“No campaign, no party, no use for political advantage,” he wrote. “When faced with the death of a person, we must only show respect.”
Abascal’s eviction and death have become a rallying point for housing activists demanding changes to Spain’s rental policies as the country prepares for its November election.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
