Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez could have waited until August next year before facing the voters. Instead, he has called a snap election for 29 November.

In his announcement, he declared that Spain had become a global benchmark for peace, feminism and prosperity, claiming the best economic and social results achieved by any democratic government in Spain. Recognising that his ‘progressive’ coalition government has also made mistakes, Sánchez, who has been prime minister for eight years, explained that in order to do more he needs to ‘renew and broaden the support of the people’.

The immediate trigger was Friday’s defeat of his emergency housing legislation. Junts, a Catalan separatist party, joined the conservative Partido Popular and the further-right Vox in voting it down. It was another demonstration of the government’s inability to command a majority.

Spain now faces the imminent prospect of a markedly more right-wing government

Spain now faces the imminent prospect of a markedly more right-wing government

Yet Sánchez may have seen an opportunity in that defeat. Housing protests have brought tens of thousands onto Spain’s streets. His party hopes that anger over........

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