#DecretoMariCarmen is the hashtag campaign — and the informal media name — for the emergency housing decree Spain’s government drafted in late September 2026 after the forced eviction of 87-year-old María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal from her Madrid flat. Named for Maricarmen by protesters and press, the decree is the policy half of the broader #NiUnaMaricarmenMás movement and the explicit demand of the Puerta del Sol encampment: a package Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pledged on September 27 to pass “against the clock” that extends eviction protections and automatically renews rental contracts.
Quick Facts
- Named for: María del Carmen “Maricarmen” Abascal, 87, evicted September 23, 2026 from a Madrid flat she had lived in for 70 years
- Proposed by: Government of Pedro Sánchez (PSOE–Sumar coalition)
- Original demand: Madrid Tenants’ Union (Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid)
- Cabinet announcement: September 27, 2026 — Sánchez pledges Tuesday approval
- Measures approved: Two decrees extending protection from evictions, automatic renewal of rental contracts, stronger tenant protections
- Remaining demands: Indefinite rental contracts, rent freeze, permanent eviction moratorium
- Ratification path: Congreso de los Diputados (needs coalition votes + Junts)
Origin
On September 23, 2026, Spanish police forced the door of María del Carmen Abascal’s Madrid flat and carried her out on a stretcher after her 70-year tenancy ended. In a short video message, Abascal asked Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to legislate so that “what has happened to me” would not happen to others. The Madrid Tenants’ Union — Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid — called a march for September 26 and raised tents in the Puerta del Sol, naming its central demand the “Decreto Mari Carmen.” Press picked up the name within days.
On September 27, standing against the backdrop of the growing encampment, Sánchez pledged that his government was “working against the clock” to bring the housing decree to the Council of Ministers on Tuesday, calling it “a matter of humanity.” The hashtag #DecretoMariCarmen trended across X and Instagram alongside photos and footage of the encampment and the September 26 Madrid march.
What It Means / How It Works
As framed by its demanders and then adopted by the government, the Decreto Mari Carmen was conceived as a package of emergency housing measures, not a single law. The published core, as reported during the week of September 29, included:
- A temporary ban or extension of protection on evictions, especially where no alternative housing is available.
- Automatic renewal of rental contracts, so tenants are not pushed out when leases lapse during the crisis.
- Stronger protections against the termination of long-standing tenancies by new owners — the fact pattern that produced Maricarmen’s own eviction.
The Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid demanded three additional, more structural changes: indefinite rental contracts, a rent freeze, and a permanent moratorium on evictions. Those demands were not part of the initial decrees — a gap the October 3 nationwide protest highlighted under the explicit slogan “Hacia la huelga general” (“Towards a general strike”).
Timeline
September 2026
- 23 — Police evict Maricarmen Abascal from her Madrid flat on a stretcher; video circulates widely.
- 26 — Madrid Tenants’ Union march (25,000 per government, 300,000+ per organisers); 150 tents raised in Puerta del Sol under the demand “Decreto Mari Carmen.”
- 27 — PM Pedro Sánchez vows to bring the decree to cabinet on Tuesday, calling it “a matter of humanity.”
- 29 — Isabel Díaz Ayuso, Madrid regional president, gives the central government 48 hours to clear the encampment.
- 30 (approx.) — Council of Ministers approves two decrees extending eviction protection and renewing rental contracts.
October 2026
- 1 — Puerta del Sol encampment surpasses 1,000 tents; sister camps rise in Barcelona (500+), Málaga, Seville, Valencia and other cities.
- 3 — Nationwide day of action in 50+ cities under the slogan “Hacia la huelga general”; organisers put the Madrid march at ~500,000 (authorities at ~70,000). Demand: full ratification and expansion of the decree.
- early October — Coalition negotiates ratification with Sumar and Junts; movement continues to press for indefinite contracts and a rent freeze.
Reactions
Government
Sánchez framed the decree as a humanitarian emergency measure and leaned on the “working against the clock” line through the week. The two decrees passed cabinet, and the government moved to secure Congressional votes.
Opposition and regional government
Partido Popular leaders criticised the government’s handling of both the housing crisis and the encampment. Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the central government to clear the Puerta del Sol encampment — a demand the government did not act on, and which drew a counter-protest.
Protesters
The Sindicato de Inquilinas e Inquilinos de Madrid and allied housing groups welcomed the initial decrees but declared them insufficient, kept the Puerta del Sol encampment standing, and called for a general strike. Their argument: without indefinite contracts and a rent freeze, future Maricarmens remain exposed when properties change hands or leases lapse.
Aftermath
The decree’s political afterlife is tied to the Congreso. If Sumar and Junts ratify the package, it anchors as the first major concession Spain’s housing movement has extracted from Madrid. If ratification stalls, protest organisers have signalled a continued encampment and general-strike pressure. Separately, the government and the Tenants’ Union have signalled that the Maricarmen case has reopened a longer debate on indefinite rental contracts and rent regulation — a fight that was dormant between the 2011 15-M occupation of the same Puerta del Sol and the 2026 encampment.
Variations & Related Tags
- #DecretoMariCarmen / #DecretoMaricarmen / #DecretoMariaCarmen — common spellings in Spanish-language coverage.
- #NiUnaMaricarmenMás — the movement-side slogan this policy answers.
- #DerechoALaVivienda / “right to housing” — the broader frame invoked by the Tenants’ Union.
- #15M — the 2011 Indignados reference point whose Puerta del Sol legacy this decree is partly answering.
Sources
- https://www.euronews.com/2026/09/27/sanchez-vows-to-pass-housing-decree-on-tuesday-amid-outrage-over-maricarmen-eviction
- https://en.ara.cat/politics/sanchez-states-that-he-is-working-against-the-clock-to-approve-the-housing-decree-tuesday-it-is-matter-of-humanity_1_5862272.html
- https://ground.news/article/e25d7058-b594-469d-b939-5331cf1cada4
- https://alicanteplaza.es/alicanteplaza/espana/acampada-en-la-puerta-del-sol-tras-la-marcha-por-la-vivienda-para-exigir-la-aprobacion-del-decreto-maricarmen-2026-09-26
- https://www.lanacion.com.ar/usa/spanish-housing-protests-spread-as-government-prepares-its-response-nid29092026/
- https://shorttermrentalz.com/news/spain-decree-rental-tenants/
- https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/3/tens-of-thousands-protest-in-spain-after-failed-housing-reforms
- https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2026-10-03/tens-of-thousands-protest-across-spain-over-housing-crisis